WeeklySA_AdminMANDATORY: South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria has launched disciplinary steps against parishioners accused of disrupting Mass and staging protests at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in December, saying refusal to follow a corrective process could result in penalties — including excommunication…
By Agnes Aineah
South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria has initiated a disciplinary process against a group of parishioners accused of organising protests and disrupting Holy Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, warning that penalties could include exclusion from the sacraments and even excommunication.
In a decree circulated on 11 January, Archbishop Dabula Mpako said those involved in the demonstrations must undergo a mandatory “rehabilitative process” aimed at correction and reconciliation. He warned that refusal to comply may lead to canonical sanctions.
The Archbishop said the incidents took place on December 7 and December 28 2025, after a pastoral decision made by the Archdiocese regarding “a pastor”. He said the protests “seriously harmed ecclesial communion, the good name of the Church,” and interfered with the Bishop’s freedom to exercise his pastoral office.
According to the decree, approximately 42 parishioners allegedly assembled unlawfully outside the Cathedral on 7 December and staged a public demonstration criticising the diocesan Bishop. The group is accused of spreading false and defamatory assertions about the pastoral decision, inciting opposition and hostility toward Church authority, and causing public scandal.
Archbishop Mpako further alleged that the same individuals had earlier staged coordinated protest actions during Mass, which he said violated the sanctity of the liturgy and reverence owed to the Eucharist.
Following the demonstration, photos and videos were allegedly circulated on social media, amplifying what the decree describes as false accusations and deepening division among the faithful. The group is also accused of sending letters of appeal to Church authorities based on the same claims, and encouraging others to attach digital signatures in support.
A smaller group allegedly staged another protest on 28 December, at the end of Pretoria’s Jubilee Year celebration, repeating similar conduct. The Archbishop said the incident again undermined the reverence due to sacred worship.
He said the parishioners’ conduct violated multiple provisions of Canon Law, including obligations to maintain communion with the Church and to express criticism in a manner consistent with respect for Church leadership and the common good.
Among the sanctions cited is an interdict, which could bar individuals from receiving sacraments and participating in liturgical life. Other measures include formal reprimands, removal from Church ministries or leadership roles, and imposed acts of charity or penance.
The decree also raises the possibility of excommunication, which Archbishop Mpako said may apply to those who, after warnings, persist in what he described as schismatic behaviour — including inciting revolt against lawful episcopal authority.
Despite outlining possible penalties, the Archbishop said the preferred approach remains corrective. He proposed a structured process of restoration that includes a public retraction and apology, the removal of protest-related content from social media, and temporary exclusion from certain Church roles and public ecclesial functions.
Participants are also instructed to refrain from organising further demonstrations concerning Church governance.
The rehabilitation programme further requires attendance of mandatory sessions on ecclesiology, episcopal authority, obedience and communion, and the sacredness of the liturgy. It also includes spiritual direction, assigned acts of penance, and prayers for Church unity.
Archbishop Mpako said compliance is not optional. “If any step is refused or neglected, the Ordinary will proceed to impose canonical penalties as warranted,” he said. – ACI Africa
Comment
STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING
Despite repeated warnings from authorities, motorists continued to drink and drive recklessly on South Africa’s roads during the 2025\ 26 festive period resulting in a total 1427 deaths in 1172 horror crashes. Although the number of fatalities was five percent less than the previous festive season, Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, said these accidents, also caused by speeding and human behaviour, could have been avoided if motorists had respected the rules of the road. The latest figures have now left the government with no option but to move for the total ban on drinking before driving to stop this carnage on our roads. Creecy said they would introduce the new rules and scrap the law that allowed drivers to drink a certain percentage before driving.
This new rule could be a deterrent to help reduce the fatal crashes on our roads caused mainly by reckless drivers with alcohol being the main cause. Statistics have revealed that South Africans were among the world’s heaviest drinkers with reports by the Rethink Your Drink Campaign that South Africans spent about R400 million a day on alcohol.
They spent one billion rand a day on alcohol during the 2025-26 festive period. This was almost triple the normal average spend. Campaign manager, Kashifa Ancer, has been reported saying that South Africans spent about R150 billion a year on alcohol. This is shocking.
According to the government, road fatalities cost the country almost R3 billion a year thereby diverting scarce resources from other social and economic needs of the country.
The government’s move to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act, would help instil discipline to the drivers and reduce the number of crashes on our roads. This new rule however, would only be effective if traffic and police officers patrol our roads regularly and bring the culprits to book. These patrols should also be maintained in the townships where some motorists are sometimes seen drinking while driving. Creecy’s proposal followed concerns raised by the chairman of the Portfolio Committee on Transport, Donald Selamolela about the frequency of the high number of fatalities on the roads during the festive period.
‘’These accidents and rogue driver behaviour have become normalized in our society and that must stop before further bloodshed. If no serious commitment is demonstrated to curb the accidents, poor South Africans will continue to die for no reason,’’ he warned. Some of the main causes of road accidents included texting while driving, losing focus on the road, poor road conditions including potholes, weather and rain in particular because it caused poor visibility and fatigue, failure to use seatbelts and unroadworthy vehicles. While we welcome the government’s move to introduce strict road and driving policies, we also urge the traffic officers to maintain visibility in the townships where reckless driver behaviour is deep-rooted.
We also hope that these amendments would be introduced before the Easter weekend to avert further carnage on South Africa’s roads.
