G20 Interfaith Forum: South African Bishop Urges Faith Leaders to Focus on Pastoral Engagement, Shun Political Comfort

Johannesburg, 16 August, 2025 / 10:19 PM

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umtata in South Africa has cautioned faith leaders against excessive alignment with political power, calling on them instead to devote themselves to pastoral engagement.

In his closing remarks for the 2025 Group of 20 (G20) Interfaith Forum (IF20) that was held in  Cape Town, South Africa, Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka who also serves as the President of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) emphasized the importance of “pastoral proximity” describing it as not a “Christian calling” but “the essence of all authentic spirituality.”

“Let us commit to spending more time in informal settlements than in government offices, more time with the unemployed than with the employed elite, more time listening to the cries of the poor than to the promises of politicians,” Bishop Sipuka said in his remarks on Thursday, August 14, making reference to the late Pope Francis’ call to Priests to stay close to the marginalized and to have “the smell of the sheep."

The South African Bishop cautioned faith leaders against the dangers of becoming closely aligned with political power, saying, “We who claim to serve the God of the poor are viewed with suspicion by those very poor.”

In his address that was titled, “From Words to Witness: Our Covenant of Action”, the Catholic Church leader explained that mistrust stems from the “proximity to power has sometimes” led some religious leaders to end up being “complicit in systems that perpetuate injustice.” 

“It’s easy for religious leaders to be co-opted by those in power for the benefits offered, and in exchange lose our prophetic stance to stand and be the voice of the voiceless. This sometimes results in religious leaders living in mansions while their congregants queue for food parcels,” he said, adding that some institutions amass wealth even as children in their communities go hungry.

In some cases, he continued, “religious leaders bless policies that oppress rather than liberate, where we become part of the problem we claim to solve. It leads to living a very luxurious life at the expense of those poor they claim to love and serve.”

“How can we speak against the corruption in governments and corporations while ignoring the corruption in our own hearts and institutions?” he asked, urging them to model the transparency they expect from others and to uphold justice within their own faith communities.

Bishop Sipuka, who began his Episcopal Ministry in May 2008, said faith leaders had identified five critical areas of focus during the five-day event held ahead of the G20 Summit scheduled for November 22–23: food security and human dignity, economic justice and debt cancellation, education, migration and human dignity, and climate justice with creation care.

He expressed hope that the faith leaders would commit to take practical action beyond "rhetoric" on the five critical areas without waiting for “perfect conditions” in communities where they serve the people of God.

“We have not gathered here to issue another statement ‘calling on governments, calling on business and corporations, and calling on politicians’ to act. The poor are tired of our calls. The poor are hungry for our commitment,” said the SACC President.

He posed a prophetic challenge to the faith leaders, including delegates from the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist communities, as well as African spiritualists, reminding them, “The vulnerable communities we claim to serve are not objects of our charity—they are the measure of our authenticity.”

He continued, “As we leave Cape Town, my hope is that we could leave not as individual faith traditions returning to separate spheres, but as an Ubuntu coalition aspiring to shared action.”

“Ubuntu teaches us that we are because others are. Today, we commit to ensuring that others can be because we have been—not because we spoke beautifully about their plight, but because we acted boldly for their liberation,” said Bishop Sipuka in his seven-page closing remarks for the 2025 IF20 Forum, held under the theme, “Ubuntu in Action: Focus on Vulnerable Communities.”