Joseph Ratzinger spoke in defence of victims of witchcraft during his 2009 trip to Angola, just as some proposals had been made by the Synod of Bishops for Africa (held in the Vatican in 2009) to combat it. One of the suggestions made was that every diocese on the continent equip itself with an exorcist so as to help victims of magical practices. "The cause (for beatification) of Daswa Benedict is for martyrdom," the Bishop of the Diocese of Tzaneen, Joao Rodrigues, told the media.
The prelate said that a first report has been sent to the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints. It is 850 pages long - the work of 5 years of inquiry, conducted by interviewing witnesses deemed reliable by the diocesan authorities. According to MissiOnline, the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME)’s website, the documentation was sent to the Vatican in July 2009.
When a beatification case is put forward in a diocese, the "Positio" phase ensues; this involves gathering evidence from witnesses, documents and legal acts, which is essential in deciding whether the case is for heroic virtue or martyrdom.
It is for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the commission of cardinals and theologians, and ultimately the Pope, to finally recognize the status of martyr.
In this case, the declaration of beatitude or sainthood can occur even without the presence of a confirmed miracle, which is required for anyone who is not a martyr.
Benedict Daswa belonged to the Lemba clan, whose members are known as the "black Jews". As a teenager he converted to Catholicism and was baptized at the age of 16.
Witchcraft and black magic are still very popular even in progressive South Africa - particularly in rural areas. There are often stories in the media of persons murdered in order to remove their organs and use them in magical rites. Lynched by a superstitious mob 22 years ago because he was opposed to witchcraft, Benedict Daswa could become the first blessed South African.
Suspense is high as people await the outcome of the cause of beatification started by the Catholic Diocese of Tzaneen, in the Northern Province of Limpopo. This is according to today’s issue of the Sunday Times, a South African Sunday paper. Daswa, a devout and fervent Catholic, was 46 years old and a father of eight when, in February 1990, a crowd of inhabitants from the small village of Mbahe - about 150 km north of Polokwane - massacred him, scalding him with boiling water, stoning him and beating him to death with sticks. His crime?
He had steadfastly refused to participate in enlisting a witch to identify who was responsible, according to the superstitious inhabitants of this rural region, for the lightning storms that were occurring in the area.
Daswa had explained that his faith did not allow him to have anything to do with witchcraft, his younger brother Thanyani told the Sunday Times. Moreover, according to the brother, Benedict was also a very successful businessman and this had provoked the envy of many in the village.
According to UNICEF, tens of thousands of children in Africa are tortured or killed by witchcraft. It is urgent, the Pope told Angolan bishops during their ad limina visit to Rome, that the Church, "civil society and governments,” make a "joint effort" "to counter the "calamity" of the ritual "assassination" of "children and the elderly" because of "witchcraft".
Denouncing the risks of traditional rites and customs, he urged the Church to educate against "practices that are incompatible" with Christianity. "Afflicted by existential problems," he noted, in Africa people have recourse "to practices that are incompatible with Christian discipleship."
"The abominable effects of this," he remarked, "are marginalization and even the murder of children and elderly people, condemned by the false teachings of witchcraft." "Recalling that human life is sacred in all its phases and situations," the Pope urged: "continue, dear bishops, to raise your voice in favor of the victims."