“Corruption is theft from the poor," warn the Bishops of the South African Catholic Bishops' Conference.
In
a recently published Pastoral Letter dedicated to the scourge of
corruption, the bishops of the SACBC (which brings together the Bishops
of the South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana) point out that "Corruption
harms the whole community. When bribery becomes a way of life for civil
servants, business people or church personnel, their real
responsibilities are put aside in pursuit of making money for
themselves”.
And the document continues, outlining how
corruption leads us to become cynical about each other, to distrust the
people we regard as our leaders and as honorable people.
The
President of the SACBC, Cape Town Archbishop Stephen Brislin, spoke to
Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni about the Pastoral Letter which he says,
was triggered by the need to address what is an enormous issue, around
the world and in South Africa…
Archbishop
Stephen Brislin says that there have been a number of cases in his
country which have brought corruption to the fore, and in a country
where there are many many poor people, the issue is perhaps even more
poignant.
Quoting from the Pastoral Letter itself: “Corruption is
theft from the poor. Money diverted into the pockets of corrupt people
could have been spent on housing for the homeless, on medicine for the
sick or for other needs. Aid should reach those it is intended for”. So,
Archbishop Brislin points out “unless we are able to root out
corruption in our society and in our country we are stealing from the
poor, we are preventing the advancement of poor people, we are
preventing poor people reaching their full potential as human beings”.
“Corruption – he explains – is endemic; it is at every level of society,
and therefore we have to look at it in the broadest possible way”.
The
document includes a quote by Pope Francis in which he says that
corruption is worse than other sins, because when it becomes a habit it
hardens the heart. Archbishop Brislin says he thinks this is very
true:“it is a very selfish action. It is saying I want to enrich myself,
I want to enjoy the benefits and the fruits that other people can’t
have”. So he says: “it harms the whole community. It is a poison, an
evil that must be eradicated from the whole of society”.
The
Archbishop confirms that the bishops of Southern Africa have called on
their people to embrace the international ecumenical “Exposed” Campaign –
which calls individuals to take action and in fact indicates that
corruption is a universal issue.
And Archbishop Brislin says
that this Letter is a way of preparing for the upcoming April elections
that mark 20 years of democracy in South Africa. However he reveals the
bishops will be issuing another Pastoral document in celebration of
that event. “What we would like for people in SA to do is to consider
very carefully when they are going to the polls who should be voting for
in terms of issues and the issues which affect our country”.
The
Archbishop also comments on the part of the letter in which the bishops
call on members of the Church to examine their attitudes, he says that
Church members must be stewards of the donor money they receive for
projects, so “we have got to make sure we have the right processes in
place, the right systems in place to ensure there is no corruption, and
should there be a case of corruption, that we immediately take the
right action”.