The Catholic Bishop of Mariannhill Diocese in South Africa is seeking to put into place “good budgeting policies” as a priority in view of sustaining his Episcopal See.
In an interview with ACI Africa, Bishop Neil Augustine Frank said, “My first priority is to pay attention to the finances. Last year the Diocese had a deficit of 4.8 million Rands (US$265,000.00), which really means we've been eating into the savings of the Diocese and its reserve funds, its investments that helped to fund some of our operations.”
He said his focus will be to put in place good budgeting policies, to have strategies to increase the local income, fundraising for projects, and to have income generation projects within the South African Diocese.
"I have to think of medical aid for the priests, because not all the priests have equal access to medical care, which is quite a demand at the moment," the member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) told ACI Africa during the Thursday, October 20 interview.
In the latest administrative changes published October 13 by the Holy See Press Office, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Frank who was serving as Coadjutor Bishop of Mariannhill Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in February this year as the successor of Bishop Pius Mlungisi Dlungwane.
In the October 20 interview, Bishop Frank underscored “financial stability”, as the Diocese is known to have “lots of vocations for the Priesthood”, but due to financial limitations is unable to fund the Priestly formation of Major Seminarians and “ongoing formation of Priests”.
“We're just come out of COVID-19 this year, so our local incomes have been rather low. The number of students we have are still very numerous and we pride ourselves as one of those Dioceses that have lots of vocations for the Priesthood, but funding the education for our students is quite demanding”, said Bishop Frank.
Apart from financial challenges, Mariannhill Diocese is also grappling with scandals that led to the Diocese being put under an Apostolic Administrator in 2020. In the October 20 interview, Bishop Frank said that both Clergy and women and men Religious have agreed to “cooperate” and move beyond the challenges in the South African Diocese.
“We have faced the questions and talked about things maybe not fully in depth but the sense that I have after these eight months, is that there are lots of good Priests here; and the basic message that they are giving me is we will cooperate with you,” the South African Bishop told ACI Africa.
He added, “I've only experienced respect and acceptance, and I feel I've developed a good relationship with the Priests.”
He continued, “I acknowledge the divisions of the past… In almost every meeting with the Priests I would mention that we need to go forward and there's great willingness on the part of the Priests to go forward. I think with the meetings, we've had such a great response.”
“In the past, there's been a characterization of the divisions in the Diocese between heterosexual and homosexual Priests and I think this is just a construction placed over the other divisions that were there and the sexual orientation kind of description of it, seems to me to distract from what the real problems are. That has been my analysis in these eight months, and I'm beginning to address some of the matters that are deeper,” he added.
The 56-year-old South African Bishop further said, “I think there's a journey ahead for us, but it's just the constant meeting and willingness among everyone to get beyond the hurts of the past, and also to heal, to bring back, to restore the trust of the people in the Priesthood.”
In the October 20 interview, Bishop Frank cautioned the laity of Mariannhill against being “part of a division or part of the problem” between members of the Clergy.
“We are building up the Diocesan Pastoral Council, and I made it very clear at the Diocesan Pastoral Council that if a Priest speaks ill of one of his brothers to the lay people, they should not accept such behavior. The lay people should not become part of a division or part of the problem,” he said.
The Local Ordinary of Mariannhill Diocese told ACI Africa that “despite its problems … there certainly is a great sense of being Church” in Mariannhill.
“Among the Laity, there's just so much of goodwill; there's so much of faith here; it's tangible in Mariannhill. The Sodalities are just so strong, and there are lots of moments where I can meet with them and engage with them,” Bishop Frank said during the October 20 interview.