Roman Catholicism in South Africa

The Roman Catholic Church in South Africa is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are 26 dioceses and archdioceses, plus an apostolic vicariate.

There are approximately 3.3 million Catholics in South Africa - just over 6% of the total population. 2.7 million are of various black African ethnic groups, such as Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho. Coloured and white South Africans each account for roughly 300,000.^[1] Most white Catholics are English speaking, and the majority are descended from Irish immigrants. Many others are Portuguese settlers who left Angola and Mozambique after they became independent in the 1970s, or their children. The proportion of Catholics among White Afrikaans speakers, or South African Asians, who are mainly of Indian descent, is extremely small.

Structure and Leadership

The Areas of Jurisdiction

The Catholic Church in South Africa consists of five Archdioceses (Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesberg, Pretoria), 21 Dioceses, 1 Vicariate Apostolic and the Military Ordinariate. The four Ecclesiastical provinces are—

• Bloemfontein
  • Leadership: Archbishop Jabulani Adatus Nxumalo, O.M.I. appointed 10 October 2005
  • Contains the following dioceses:
    • Bethlehem
      • Bishop Jan de Groef, M. Afr. appointed 31 December 2008.
    • Keimoes-Upington - Upington, Northern Cape
      • Bishop Edward Risi, O.M.I. appointed 14 October 2000.
    • Kimberley
      • Bishop Erwin Hecht, O.M.I. appointed 1 July 1974.
    • Kroonstad
      • sede vacante
• Cape Town
  • Leadership: Archbishop Stephen Brislin appointed 18 December 2009.
  • Contains the following dioceses:
    • Aliwal
      • Bishop Michael Wüstenberg appointed 24 February 2008.
    • De Aar
      • Bishop Joseph Potocnak, S.C.I. appointed 1 May 1992.
    • Oudtshoorn
      • Bishop Francisco Fortunato De Gouveia appointed 28. May 2010.
    • Port Elizabeth
      • Bishop Michael Coleman appointed 21 March 1986.
    • Queenstown
      • Bishop Herbert Lenhof, S.A.C. appointed 3 February 1984.
• Durban
  • Leadership: Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, appointed 29 March 1992.
  • Contains the following dioceses:
    • Dundee
      • Bishop Graham Rose appointed June 13, 2008.
    • Eshowe
      • Bishop Thaddaeus Kumalo appointed 11 March 2008.
    • Kokstad
      • Bishop William Slattery, O.F.M. appointed 19 February 1994.
    • Marianhill
      • Bishop Pius Mlungisi Dlungwana, appointed 3. June 2006.
    • Umtata
      • Bishop Anton Sipuka appointed 8 February 2008.
    • Umzimkulu
      • Bishop Stanisław Jan Dziuba, O.S.P.P.E. appointed 31 December 2008.
• Johannesburg
  • Leadership: Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, O.M.I. appointed 8 April 2003.
  • Contains the following dioceses:
    • Klerksdorp
      • Bishop Zithulele Mvemve appointed 26 March 1994.
    • Manzini (Geographically external to South Africa - In Swaziland)
      • Bishop Louis Ndlovu, O.S.M. appointed 1 July 1985.
    • Witbank
      • Vacant.
• Pretoria
  • Leadership: Sede Vacante.
    • Emeritus Archbishop Paul Khumalo, C.M.M. appointed 24 November 2008, resigned 15 December 2009.
  • Contains the following dioceses:
    • Gaborone (Geographically external to South Africa - In Botswana)
      • Bishop Boniface Setlalekgosi appointed 6 March 1982.
    • Pietersburg
      • Bishop Mogale Nkhumishe appointed 17 February 2000
    • Rustenburg
      • Bishop Kevin Dowling, C.SS.R. appointed 2 December 1990.
    • Tzaneen
      • Bishop Hugh Patrick Slattery, M.S.C. appointed 22 June 1984.

The sole Vicariate Apostolic is

• Ingwavuma
  • Bishop José Luís Gerardo Ponce de León, I.M.C. appointed November 24, 2008.

There is also the

• Military Ordinariate of South Africa
  • Leadership: Archbishop Paul Khumalo, C.M.M. appointed 24 November 2008.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference

The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference is a collegial body approved by the Holy See and has as its particular aim:

to provide the bishops of the territories mentioned above with facilities for consultation and united action in such matters of common interest to the Church as consultation and co-operation with other hierarchies; the fostering of priestly and religious vocations; the doctrinal, apostolic and pastoral formation of the clergy, religious and laity; the promotion of missionary activity, catechetics, liturgy, lay apostolate, ecumenism, development, justice and reconciliation, social welfare, schools, hospitals, the apostolate of the press, radio, television, and other means of social communication; and any other necessary activity.

Nuncio

The Apostolic Nuncio to South Africa is Archbishop James Patrick Green appointed to the post on 17 August 2006. He is also the Apostolic Nuncio to Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia as well as the Apostolic Delegate to Botswana.

Catholic Church and apartheid

Denis Hurley, Archbishop of Durban and a member of the Central Preparatory Committee of Vatican II, stands perhaps as the most eminent Catholic cleric in South African history. He was appointed bishop at the age of 31 and was a leader in opposing the apartheid regime. Like him, many senior officials within the Roman Catholic Church in South Africa opposed apartheid, but a group of conservative white Catholics formed the South African Catholic Defence League to condemn the church's political involvement and, in particular, to denounce school integration.^[2]

People

• Wilfrid Napier is currently South Africa's only cardinal.
• Owen McCann (1907-1994), President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC).
• Franz Pfanner

Education

• Roman Catholic schools in South Africa
• Roman Catholic secondary schools in South Africa
• St Augustine College of South Africa

Sources

• http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/za.html provides links to the structure and personnel history. Used heavily for diocesan and personnel information in the section on structure and leadership.

External links

• http://www.sacbc.org.za/ is the website of the South African Bishops' Conference.
• http://www.catholic-ct.org.za/ is the website of the Archdiocese of Cape Town.
• http://www.staugustine.ac.za/ is the South African Catholic University.