Church in Africa must “bring people together” to Overcome Racism, Reverse “structures of apartheid”: Cardinal Napier

The Church can help “overcome” these historically unjust circumstances, he said, by “ensuring that when we have diocesan meetings [and] diocesan structures, we draw from all those backgrounds and bring the people together.”

Napier reflected on participating in protests years ago and being afraid that police might open fire on him and his fellow demonstrators. 

“It was as serious as that sometimes,” he said. “Because we decided as a Church [that] we cannot sit in the background and simply pray in our churches. We have to go out onto the streets.”

South Africa was recently in the news when President Donald Trump, while hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, played footage at a South African rally in which participants chanted “Kill the Boer.” 

Asked about such chants and slogans at South African political events calling for violence and “revolution,” Napier said the “Kill the Boer” slogan was a “protest song.”

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“The basis of it was, the government has taken our land,” he said. “They’ve given this land to these Boers, these Afrikaners, [and] they won’t give it back to us... We’ll take it back.” 

Admitting that progress in the often crime-plagued nation has stalled in recent years, the prelate said the Church in South Africa “dropped the ball” in ceding much of the work of reconciliation to politicians. 

Asked by Flynn about the overall state of the Church in South Africa today, Napier said the Catholic Church, if it wants to have “an impact on society,” must start with “good, strong parishes.” 

“If it’s going to have good, strong parishes, it needs good, strong families,” he said. “If it’s going to get new good, strong families, it needs good, strong marriages. To get that, it must have good marriage preparation.” 

“I think that would be my starting point in saying that if we’re going to make an impact on society, we have to look at where society actually gets its strength from, and that is from the family, the community of the family,” he said. 

Flynn’s full interview with Napier can be viewed below.

Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.