South African Priests Practise as Shamans - Slaughtering Animals and Wild Dancing
The first two signatories of the letter were Archbishop Siegfried Mandla Jwara, 68, of Durban, and his predecessor, Cardinal Wilfred Napier, 84, who currently serves as the apostolic administrator of Eshowe.
They wrote: "It is particularly grievous that some Catholic priests and religious are reported to engage in these practices."
The letter prohibits priests, deacons, and religious from participating in any syncretic religious practices, including the slaughter of chickens, the use of coloured water and candles, the blessing of non-liturgical wild dancing and healing rituals outside of Catholic liturgical practice.
Priests who promote or participate in such practices will face "correction, including ultimately suspension".
The letter urged Catholics to honour their ancestors by "praying for their souls, not invoking them".
Local media fought back. On 2 October, Iol.co.za reported that Catholics were furious over the Church's stance against traditional practices. The article mentions that some priests "fully embrace ancestral rituals, while others are even traditional healers, so called izangoma".
Local businessman Vusi Mvelase is angry that he would no longer be allowed to burn impepho, African sage: "When we hold tombstone unveiling ceremonies, we invite priests to bless them, but now they won't come. What is that?" He is considering appealing to Pope Leo XIV.
In his October bulletin, Archbishop Jwara responded ambiguously. He claimed that the media had misreported the bishops' guidance, presenting it as a blanket condemnation of ancestral veneration.
He was “absolutely not” attacking the belief in ancestors.
"To be clear, literature on this topic confirms that Africans do not worship ancestors, but may seek guidance and support in times of need from esteemed members of their family who lived virtuous or holy lives worthy of respect and recognition," he said.
Archbishop Jwara added: "The main thrust of our recent joint statement was to address priests who engage in the practice of Ubungoma in churches and parishes, thereby generating confusion among the faithful and committing liturgical or pastoral abuses."
Regarding local paganism, he said: "In this context, I remind everyone that the Church’s role is not to condemn culture, but rather to seek its purification through prayer."
He is only concerned "that ancestral rituals practised privately by each family should not be brought into our liturgical celebrations."
#newsSlgjtkrvdd