We want to put you in touch with the Church, whether you are a Catholic or just an enquirer. You may know your own parish or the Catholic school your child is attending. You may get fragmented bits of information about the Church from secular media. What you need is a full picture, an inside view, an authentic voice. This we wish to give you.

Communication through the media is much hampered in Zimbabwe. There are few church publications. This website tries to put you in touch with the Church electronically. Print interesting material out, put it on your parish notice board, share it with your friends.

This website is an initiative of JESUIT COMMUNICATIONS. It is not an initiative of the Church as such. It does not speak for the Bishops. But Jesuits are part of the Church and loyal to it. Within the Church there are different gifts and charism, contributing to the life of the Church in their various ways. This website is our Jesuit contribution.

Whenever some serious moral failure in the Church becomes known it hits the headlines, and the moral outrage is great. The headline writers may day in day out celebrate sex scandals and propagate promiscuity as normal. But when the Church is involved they apply suddenly very strict standards – what they consider the Church’s standards. And they beat the culprit with the very sticks they assume the Church is wielding. Needless to say, for media people, as for the general public, the Church is the guardian of public morality, and not much else.

There is of course much hypocrisy in all this. In the Church, certainly, but also in the media and public opinion. Some commentators point out though that without the media the Church would still be sweeping her own sin under the carpet.

But there is more to it. Those headline writers and their customers – don’t forget that headlines sell papers and thus make money – feel in their heart of hearts much relieved when they realize there is corruption in the Church. Because that excuses their own corruption and moral depravity.

The year 2010 was the “annus horribilis/the horrible year” for the Catholic Church, especially in Germany, Ireland, and the USA. Priests and religious were accused of sexual abuse of young children, and the Church was shamed and treated with contempt by a gloating media. Priests who had lived blameless lives, religious and lay Catholics felt deeply ashamed and embarrassed by what had come to light.

There has been corruption and scandal in the Church all through the ages. Canon Law prescribes severe penalties for offenders.

DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING

At this time of the year the Church thinks of, and prays for, the dead. Every year the line of brothers and sisters, friends and companions that have crossed over to the living dead grows longer.
Remembering those taken from us is not a morbid concern with death. It is life asserting itself over death. It is life denying death the last word. People who have surrendered to death do not wish the dead to be remembered. People who kill and murder since they think that the death of their enemies will be their life do not wish the dead to be remembered. They don’t want them to rise to life again.
They want them dead. Once and for all.

Pre-conditions for Democracy

 When people think of democracy they think of selection of candidates, voters’ rolls, elections and polling stations, balloting and vote counting. They think of parliaments and parliamentarians and majority votes. They think of “putting democratic procedures in place” after which everything is functioning automatically.