2015-01-26 15:32:00

Catholic bishops of Southern Africa condemn violence against foreigners in South Africa


Two suspected looters in South Africa were fatally shot following a week of attacks on immigrant-owned shops in the Johannesburg area, police said Monday. The slain men were part of a group that allegedly went to loot a Somali-owned shop in Langlaagte, south of Johannesburg city, on Sunday night, the South African Press Association quoted police Lt. Gen. Solomon Makgale as saying.

In a separate incident, police said a shop in Alexandra township also in Johannesburg was set on fire early Monday.

Looting and related violence in the past week in Soweto township and other areas around Johannesburg have killed a total of six people, including a baby who was trampled to death when a crowd stampeded outside a ransacked shop.

The Catholic bishops of Southern Africa who were meeting for their first of two plenary meetings for 2015 in Pretoria at the time of the violence in Soweto strongly condemned the attacks on foreigners.

In a statement, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) called on the “people involved not to allow themselves to be incited to such destruction.” The grouping of the bishops of South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland said those who encourage and benefit from such looting “are not only destroying buildings but the moral life of young people and the very name of our country.” The bishops extended sincere sympathy and prayers to the families of the victims.

Below is the statment:

Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC)

"The Roman Catholic Bishops meeting in Pretoria condemns the wholesale looting, burning of shops and businesses in Soweto and call on the people involved not to allow themselves to be incited to such destruction.

To those who encourage and benefit from such looting we say that you are not only destroying buildings but the moral life of young people and the very name of our country. It is tragic that people have lost their lives and we extend our prayers to their families. To our brothers and sisters whose businesses and livelihoods have been destroyed we reach out to you in sincere sympathy. What has happened to you deeply disturbs us and we call on all Catholic and Christian communities and leaders to offer you all the practical help which they can muster.

We call on all parents in a special way to step in and offer guidance to their children and to all young people involved.

We call upon all our faithful to offer full support, co-operation and information necessary to the police and community leaders in their defence of those who have been victimised.

We assure the victims of our prayers. We want to say that this behaviour is not typical or acceptable by the majority of the Southern African people."

 

Issued at Pretoria, St. John Vianney Seminary, 23rd January 2015

 

Enquiries: Archbishop William Slattery OFM








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