The Archbishop of Johannesburg, His Grace Buti Joseph Tlhagale, in his Lenten message, has made a passionate appeal to the faithful of the Archdiocese and to South Africans, in general, to become more welcoming of strangers. His Excellency Buti proposes that during the Season of Lent, the words of Scripture, “I was a stranger, and you made me welcome,” found in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25: 35 – 37, be the guiding words for every Christian of the Archdiocese.
As reported by Vatican news, “These words of Scripture are read in the context of the harrowing living conditions of many migrants and refugees who have become the surplus people, the homeless people, the unwanted people, the ‘scum of the earth.’ We must also include in that context people who live in the informal settlements. They too are virtually homeless. Their living conditions are unpleasant and brutish. People have been painfully deprived of their sense of decency and God-given dignity,” the Archbishop writes. “You are indifferent to the suffering of strangers. You are indifferent to the pain of your own homeless, hungry and diseased children!” The Archbishop speaks of the City of Johannesburg.
Archbishop Buti notes that most of the migrants and refugees are “unemployed because they do not have proper documents or even the requisite qualifications and skills. They have unavoidably been reduced to being beggars…Many migrants and refugees do not have a proper home. They live in overcrowded conditions. Some sleep in the open like animals. Where do they shower? Where do they wash their clothes? What toilet facilities do they use?” he asks. His Excellency Archbishop Buti wishes for South Africans to use the period of Lent to consciously build new welcoming communities, forge new friendships and explore new solidarities.
