Feb. 17, 2021

 South Africa will distribute unused doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to other African nations after a small trial failed to show that the vaccine could prevent mild or moderate cases caused by the local variant of the virus.  (good news, sharing, not wasting)

 

L’Opzione di Dio is, of course, a terribly misleading representation of the Catholic Church. For every Machiavellian prelate willing to stop at nothing to attain power – and, make no mistake, such figures aren’t entirely fictional – there’s probably a hundred quietly heroic missionaries, and pastors, and nuns, and lay activists, all pouring out their lives to serve the vulnerable and forgotten people of the world.

Feb. 20, 2021

Just a few words about what is coming. First, the government has relaxed, a bit, the restrictions of the lockdown, so that church services are allowed again, but not more than 50 inside and 100 outside. (that is not a problem with us at Savannah Park because we are a small community in any case.) and the restriction on buying alcohol totally has been modified to be Mon. to Thurs. 10am to 4pm. (Hospital staff were complaining of alcohol related cases clogging up their hospitals when they needed every bit of time and space for virus patients.)

So, I will be starting this Sunday, 21 Feb., with services at Savannah Park. We will combine ash wed. with first Sunday of lent. (most people here have to either walk or take public transport at night to come to an evening service, like Ash Wednesday, and they are being told to stay at home so as not to spread the virus, and they don’t have to be told at night because it is dangerous for those who have to walk as there are tsotsis (muggers and thieves)  along the way. One little girl, a student, was robbed of her cell phone and laptop and was stabbed in the process. She is a university student and needs these things for her studies. She is traumatized, and doesn’t know where to go to get help. Without her laptop she can’t do her studies. I have run out of funds to help people like her so it is just a tough situation.

I will also start with informal services at the hospital next week….Tues. 6am for the early birds and Friday 12 noon mostly for the admin. Staff. I told them I will also bring ashes for those who want.

The new liturgy that came from Rome for ashes says the priest prays a blessing  over the ashes, sprinkles with holy water, says the prayer over all present,…remember that you are dust and unto dust will return…..or…..repent and believe the good news (gospel). Then, so as not to touch anyone, instead of making a cross on their forehead with the ashes, he will sprinkle some on their heads. (ha, no consultation with the laity, especially women…. Some wear hair pieces, others, here in Africa, wear something like a turban called a duk. There is no way they can undo it to receive a sprinkling of ash. So, we shall see how we deal with this situation. Ha. I will let you know next time.

As for the pandemic, we have received some vaccines from India which have already started to be jabbed, and more from somewhere, Johnson and johnson, also being administered, starting with those on the front line. We, old timers, are waiting our turn, but I am not holding my breath. I know that we are streets ahead of other less developed countries and have some excellent doctors and scientists who will be trying to come up with a vaccine out of our own labs. Remember, the first heart transplant op was here in South Africa. It is further down the line in the health ministry where  there is chaos.

We had a president who, much like Trump, ran the country into the ground with some of his not well thought out new policies and appointments, and we are not trying to get back on some sort of normal track again, but it is difficult because he, like Trump, has his loyal followers, who refuse to accept the facts, coming from a special commission, that show clearly that he is guilty in many ways for the dire situation we are in now in South Africa.

Trump and Zuma are running on parallel lines here, both trying to discredit the normal institutions, like the constitutional court, for example, the constitutional court gave a decision that said that Zuma (the ex-president) must make himself available to the Zondo commission on the dates mentioned and is not allowed to keep silent, as this is necessary for the commission to get to the bottom of the allegations made against him or his administration when he was president.

He says, 1.   He doesn’t accept Zondo, the head of the commission, number two on the constitutional court (whom he himself appointed when he was president) because he is biased against him (without presenting proof---sound familiar?--) and he refuses to abide by the decision of the constitutional court, for the same reason, because it is biased against him—again with no proof….but going on to say that he respects the concourt but not the judges. Now what does that tell you. But, like Trump, among his followers, he is sowing seeds of doubt about most institutions in the country, the main one being the concourt.

 

So There is a lot of drams these days, as in the States. The newly elected president (both of them from the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa) is walking on eggshells. He was elected by a hair (Zuma thought that the had made sure that he would not be elected ) and, like Pope Francis with the Curia, he has to be very careful about all that he says and does since Zuma’s supporters and just waiting for him to make a gaff, and they will toss him out and take over to continue to run the country like the mafia. I will have to answer for these words one day as they become public as soon as they go into my blog.

As far as my health goes, I am A OK, except for the continuing spasms in my left leg which I just have to live with. BP is fine, no sugar, brain still works, more or less, can still drive (what a blessing), take a shower, get dressed, put my socks on (that can be an interesting procedure) and put my sandals on (I don’t wear shoes any more. I had to buy a pair when I went to my Aunt Rose’s 100^th birthday in 2019 in Chicago in Feb.—snow and ice, not good for sandals). They don’t have buckles but Velcro, which makes it easy for on and off.

 

Well, let this be enough for now. Poor Cruz, going to Cancun , sunning on the beach, when his constituents are burning their furniture to keep warm. A real  stupid move for an opportunist like him.

Have a fruitful lent, some serious housecleaning. Love and Peace,   Fr. Cas