“Boat in storm?” Catholic Bishop Says South Africa Trapped in “times of practical atheism” amid Fading Faith Authority

Johannesburg, 07 August, 2025 / 11:05 PM

Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka of South Africa’s Catholic Diocese of Mthatha has likened the country’s current situation to a boat caught in a storm at a time when faith practice is on the decline and the people of God moving towards “practical atheism.”

In his Tuesday, August 5 homily at the opening of the Plenary Assembly of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) members, Bishop Sipuka reflected on the Readings of the day: Matthew’s Gospel, where the disciples are caught in a storm, and the Book of Numbers on family jealousy episode, with Miriam and Aaron questioning Moses’ authority.

The situation of Moses in the face of jealous siblings and the apostles of Jesus in a storm, Bishop Sipuka said, “is very familiar to our times. We live in times of practical atheism, where while people profess to believe in God, their practical life proclaims the opposite.”

In towns of the Eastern Cape, the Local Ordinary of Mthatha Diocese, who doubles as the president of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), said that “Sunday is like Monday, and there are fewer people in Church.”

He further lamented, “Without consultation, the department of education holds classes on Saturday and Sunday, preventing the children who still care about the faith from attending Mass on Sunday and Catechism on Saturday.”

The South African Catholic Bishop said that the degenerating state of morality and ethics in the region brings to question the priorities in the countries of the region. 

“What can the Churches do when the government keeps the children away from them? Schools do not even have morning prayer assemblies anymore, to say nothing about religious education,” he lamented at the opening Mass of the SACBC Plenary Assembly that brings together Catholic Bishops from Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa.

The Local Ordinary of Mthatha since his Episcopal Consecration in May 2008 said that “the fruit of this eclipsing of divine authority is clear in those who are in the leadership of society and government.”  

For him, the unfortunate situation is manifested in “corruption that steals from the poor because people no longer recognize transcendent accountability.”

The corrupt, Bishop Sipuka noted, “do not care about the God given dignity of those whose life they diminish and destroy through corruption.”

He said he finds it regrettable that the severity of corruption is so deep that it affects “over 60% of our young people who are unemployed because resources to create employment have been squandered by those in authority.”

People have given up in faith to the extent that there is “a decline in Mass attendance, fewer vocations, and depleting resources,” the immediate former President of SACBC lamented, and continued, “People jump ship, feeling the boat is taking on water. Alternative authorities compete for our people's allegiance - materialism promises immediate gratification, traditional practices like ubungoma offer spiritual power outside that competes with our loyalty and obedience to Christ.”

In his August 5 homily, Bishop Sipuka encouraged the people of God in the country to remain firm in faith, saying that God’s response amid such challenges is not condemnation but presence and patience.

Referring to the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the South African Catholic Bishop said, “This year's Jubilee logo shows us the cross as an anchor - Christ as our foundation of hope. But notice: it's not a static anchor. It's the anchor of pilgrims, of a Church on the move.”

“We are not called to despair in the face of the storms, of which they are many and varied, but are called rather to recognize Christ walking toward us on the very waters of our troubles,” he said.

He urged his brother Bishops to be at the forefront in helping despaired people of God, saying, “When families break down, we must help them see Christ walking on the waters of their brokenness.”

“When young people despair, we must point to the One who approaches even in unemployment and hopelessness,” Bishop Sipuka said, and added, “When materialism and competing spiritualities challenge our authority, we respond not with defensive anger like Miriam, but with the confidence of Moses - interceding, healing, pointing to the true source of life.”

He added, “The hope of this Jubilee Year is not that the winds will stop blowing. It's Christ who enters our boat. When Peter stepped out to walk on water, he began to sink, not because the storm worsened, but because he stopped looking at Jesus.”

“Our calling is clear: help our people keep their eyes on Christ walking toward us. In every challenge South Africa faces - corruption, inequality, family breakdown, youth unemployment - Christ approaches,” he said.

Bishop Sipuka continued, “Our task is to help our people recognize His voice: ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ The boat doesn't sink because Christ is in it - even when we can't always see Him clearly.”