AFRICANEWS

SOUTH AFRICA

The Churches' apartheid-era sins of omission

by Noel Bruyns (1,320 words)

By keeping quiet as the white supremacist governments committed gross human rights violations, South African Churches now admit their guilt in propping up apartheid

The Christian Churches that opposed apartheid were a real thorn in the side of the former white minority regime which was replaced by President Nelson Mandela's democratic government in 1994.

There was the feisty Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, world renowned Nobel peace laureate and vehement protagonist for economic sanctions against apartheid South Africa.

There was Roman Catholic Archbishop Dennis Hurley, dubbed the "ecclesiastical Che Guevara" for his untiring fight for justice.

Or Pastor Allan Boesak, former president of the alliance of Black Reformed Christians in South Africa and former president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. It is true that, last September he appeared briefly in the Cape High Court for allegedly fraudulently spending or stealing US$1,22 million in donor money meant for victims of the former regime's gross human rights violations. (The matter goes to trial in February next year.) But during the anti-apartheid struggle he had the charisma to mobilise anti-apartheid activists with an oratory that was unrivalled at a time.Yet major denominations have confessed having contributed to the political injustices of the past.

The Anglican, Catholic and the Salvation Army Churches have so far made submissions to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that is probing past human rights violations in order to avoid a repeat in the new democratic South Africa.

The Commission was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1995 to find out the truth about apartheid-era atrocities. In a bid for national reconciliation, its amnesty committee may under certain circumstances grant perpetrators amnesty from future criminal or civil prosecution.

Those applying for amnesty have to make a full disclosure of misdeeds and the acts committed must have been for political reasons - not individual malice or personal gain.

It is chaired by the former head of the Anglican Church in South Africa and Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu.

Although the churches were not guilty of any gross human rights violations, they nevertheless made voluntary submissions to the TRC to outline their role during the apartheid years.

The Anglican Church was the first mainline church to publicly confess for its actions during the apartheid years. It said it was at times guilty of making statements with no accompanying action to alleviate the invasion of human rights.

It also acknowledged that "there were occasions when, through the silence of its leadership or its Parishes, or their actions in acquiescing with apartheid laws where they believed it to be in the interests of the Church, deep wrong was done to those who bore the brunt of the onslaught of apartheid".

As with other Christian denominations, the Anglican Church "has a wide membership, among whom would have been those involved in the perpetuation of the heresy of apartheid and of the violation of human rights".

The Church itself was a victim of state action, with its leaders and other members being spied on, detained without trial, banned for their Christian witness among communities who suffered discrimination and human rights violations, suffered physical, mental and spiritual injury or were thrown into prison.

The Anglican Church has recommitted itself to the ministry of reconciliation and healing for the moral reconstruction of South Africa and the revitalization of the population under its present Archbishop Ndungane Njongonkulu of Cape Town.

Njongonkulu took over from Tutu a year ago and has already gained international stature for his involvement in standing up for justice and peace.
The Anglican Church of the Province of Southern Africa has 2.4 million adherents and 75% of its membership is black.

The Catholic bishops of South Africa had been attacking apartheid since 1952 and had contributed to a culture of human rights, resistance and protest, the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) said in its submission to the TRC last August.

"The fact that the Church condemned the apartheid system encouraged those opposed to it to continue in their resolve to undermine it," the Bishops said.

"However, looking back on history from the perspective of today, we recognise that more could have been done to protest the ongoing and systematic violation of human rights by the state apparatus," they conceded.

The complicity of the Catholic Church in the conflict of the past was found in acts of omission rather than commission.

"Silence in the face of ongoing and systematic oppression at all levels of society is perhaps the Church's greatest sin," the submission stated.

The bishops said state attacks against the Church often had the opposite result to what the state intended -- to stem opposition to it.

"The most ordinary Catholics who had very little idea about politics, social justice or the role of the Church in society were scandalised when 'Father' was deported or 'Sister' was imprisoned. One priest in prison did more to conscientise Catholics than a thousand sermons or statements," the submission said.

The Catholic Church makes up 10 percent of South Africa's population of just under 40 million. The majority of the Catholics are black.

Looking towards reparation for past injustices, the bishops have suggested a "shame tax" to help survivors of apartheid-era gross human rights violations and their families. This would be a trust created where civil society could show restitution.

"There are millions of people and thousands of businesses that profited from apartheid. Should they not be willing to show some form of restitution?"

Fr Sean O' Leary, a spokesman for the SACBC's Justice and Peace Commission, told Africanews: "According to legislation which created it, the TRC should make recommendations to the state for reparation. However, we feel the nation - not the state - should pay."

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa has announced it is to make its submission to the TRC soon.

The Salvation Army in Southern Africa has also confessed to having kept quiet about apartheid abuses. It says it now regrets its silence. "With people of all kinds of political persuasions in our ranks, we chose to remain silent - a sin of omission which we now deeply regret."

This failure to speak out against apartheid "dehumanised our people and demonised the agents of change, eroding trust in all relationships," the Salvation Army said.

"We became self-satisfied and paternal, introspective about our own affairs and insensitive to what was happening around us." The Salvation Army wished to uphold the principle of not being involved in party political issues.

"We will endeavour, however, not to hide under this umbrella as an excuse for silence when we should be prepared to speak prophetically and fearlessly on matters of justice," the submission said. Lieutenant-Colonel Brian Tuck, a spokesman at the Salvation Army head office in Johannesburg, told ENI the church has about 250 congregations throughout South Africa, with about 24,000 members.

The Salvation Army was founded 130 years ago by a former Methodist minister, William Booth, in England. It was founded in southern Africa in 1883 and open to all races - though it then accepted separate racial development as normal at the time.

One Christian denomination which has consistently refused to make a submission to the TRC on its role in supporting apartheid is the Dutch Reformed Church (DR.), which until the late 1980s endorsed the apartheid policies of the former government on Biblical and theological grounds. It was known as "the National Party at prayer" (the NP having been the ruling political party during the whole of the apartheid era).

The role of the anti-apartheid churches has not gone unappreciated by the highest power in the land. President Nelson Mandela earlier this year gave credit to the churches - and the country's youth - for having made a major contribution to the struggle for freedom from apartheid.

Religious leaders and young people were often seen leading protests, "marching boldly into the firing line of apartheid," he told an International Pentecostal Church youth day service.

"Many sacrificed their careers, childhood and even their lives for the sake of freedom," President Mandela acknowledged with gratitude.

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