Slander suit splits Pretoria cathedral: The Church of England Newspaper, August 26, 2012, p 6. August 28, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Diocese of Pretoria, Jo Seoka, libel, Paul Pretorius, S’khumbuso Sibiya
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A libel suit has been initiated against a lay leader of the Cathedral Church of St Alban the Martyr in Pretoria after writing in the cathedral’s newsletter a diocesan administrator had stolen money from the cathedral.
The law suit is the latest scandal in the dispute between the cathedral’s lay leaders and the diocese. Last month the Bishop of Pretoria was charged with assault. Police in Pretoria are investigating the claim that the Rt. Rev. Johannes Seoka struck Mr. Albert Wright, verger at the Cathedral Church of St Alban the Martyr on 30 June 2012.
In June the Anglican Church of Southern Africa initiated an investigation into charges of misconduct by Bishop Seoka and convened a task force of the House of Bishops charged under Canon 21.3 with investigating the claims. Bishop Seoka told The Church of England Newspaper the charges aired in the South African press by his critics that he had embezzled R500,000 from church coffers and that he had bullied his opponents were “ridiculous”.
On 14 June 2012 the Pretoria diocesan administrator, Mr. Paul Pretorius, filed suit in Pretoria High Court against Cathedral warden S’khumbuso Sibiya, saying Mr. Sibiya had uttered and published defamatory statements about him.
In February the cathedral chapter notified the police that R145,000 was missing from its accounts, and said they suspected Mr. Pretorius was responsible for the defalcation. Mr. Sibiya is alleged to have also published in the 12 Feb issue of the cathedral newsletter this claim.
After Mr. Sibiya declined to retract his charges, Mr. Pretorius brought suit saying: “The innuendo, inter alia in the context of the defamatory matter, being that the plaintiff was a thief, a common criminal, dishonest, corrupt, a fraudster and untrustworthy.”
In May Bishop Seoka and the diocesan standing committee suspended worship services at the cathedral after infighting amongst the congregation led to the resignation of the priest in charge.
The decision to temporarily suspend worship services was prompted by a desire to restore order and bring calm to a distressed congregation, the Bishop of Pretoria explained. “The truth is that all that is happening at the cathedral conflicts with the gospel, and the teachings of the Church.”
First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.
Pretoria bishop charged with assault: The Church of England Newspaper, July 22, 2012, p 6. July 26, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Diocese of Pretoria, Jo Seoka
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The Bishop of Pretoria has been charged with assault after allegedly attacking a cathedral verger. Police in Pretoria are investigating the claim that the Rt. Rev. Johannes Seoka struck Mr. Albert Wright, verger at the Cathedral Church of St Alban the Martyr on 30 June 2012.
The Sowetan newspaper reports that police spokeswoman Sergeant Anne Poortman confirmed that a case of common assault had been opened at Pretoria Central police station. It is alleged that the bishop assaulted Mr. Wright for having made public documents concerning the dispute between the bishop and some members of the cathedral chapter.
Last month the Anglican Church of Southern Africa initiated an investigation into charges of misconduct by Bishop Seoka and convened a task force of the House of Bishops charged under Canon 21.3 with investigating the claims. The initiating of an investigation is not an indication of guilt or a finding of a prima facie case of misconduct, but is the proper canonical response to allegations of misconduct, a South African bishop told CEN.
Bishop Seoka told The Church of England Newspaper the charges aired in the South African press by his critics that he had embezzled R500,000 from church coffers and that he had bullied his opponents were “ridiculous”.
In May Bishop Seoka and the diocesan standing committee suspended worship services at the cathedral after infighting amongst the congregation led to the resignation of the priest in charge.
The decision to temporarily suspend worship services was prompted by a desire to restore order and bring calm to a distressed congregation, the Bishop of Pretoria explained. “The truth is that all that is happening at the cathedral conflicts with the gospel, and the teachings of the Church.”
First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.
Pretoria bishop under investigation for misconduct: The Church of England Newspaper, June 17, 2012 p 6. June 21, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Diocese of Pretoria, Johannes Seoka, Thabo Makgoba
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The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has initiated an investigation into charges of misconduct committed by the Bishop of Pretoria, the Rt. Rev. Johannes Seoka.
Last week Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba’s office confirmed to the South African press that a committee of the House of Bishops had been formed under the terms of Canon 21.3 to investigate claims made against the bishop.
The terms of reference for the investigation will be set at the first meeting of the committee, a spokesman said, and once the investigations are complete it will submit is findings to the full House of Bishops for review.
The bishop told The Church of England Newspaper the charges aired in the South African press by his critics that he had embezzled R500,000 from church coffers and that he had bullied his opponents were “ridiculous”.
Last month Bishop Seoka and the diocesan standing committee suspended worship services at the Cathedral of St. Alban the Martyr in Pretoria after infighting amongst the congregation led to the resignation of the priest in charge.
The decision to temporarily suspend worship services was prompted by a desire to restore order and bring calm to a distressed congregation, the Bishop of Pretoria explained. “The truth is that all that is happening at the cathedral conflicts with the gospel, and the teachings of the Church.”
The initiating of an investigation under Canon 21.3 is not an indication of guilt or a finding of a prima facie case of misconduct, but is the proper canonical response to allegations of misconduct, a South African bishop told CEN.
Bishop Seoka told the South African press that he welcomed the investigation. “There is nothing uncommon about the process. At the moment I cannot confirm who the people sitting on the task team will be or any further information,” the bishop said.
First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.
Cathedral closure an act of Eucharistic discipline, bishop reports: The Church of England Newspaper, June 3, 2012 p 7. June 4, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Diocese of Pretoria, Jo Seoka
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The bell tower of the Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr in Pretoria
The decision to temporarily suspend worship services at the St. Alban’s Cathedral was prompted by a desire to restore order and bring calm to a distressed congregation, the Bishop of Pretoria told The Church of England Newspaper.
Last week CEN reported that Bishop Jo Seoka of Pretoria suspended services at St Albans after its priest in charge, the Rev. Rudolph Paulse, resigned after receiving death threats from some members of the congregation.
One faction within the congregation, however, went to court to overturn the suspension and received an injunction on 18 May 2012 from Justice Winston Msimeki. The court ordered the premises be reopened with immediate effect for worship; that no party should disrupt services; that Fr. Rudolph Paulse be names caretaker for the church and that mediation be instituted between the parties within 30 days.
Charges of misconduct were also filed with the Archbishop of Cape Town against Bishop Seoka, charging him with embezzling R500,000 from church coffers – accusations the bishop said were “ridiculous” and without any foundation.
In a letter to CEN, Bishop Seoka said he was required to take drastic action as the cathedral was in the midst of a spiritual battle. “The truth is that all that is happening at the cathedral conflicts with the gospel, and the teachings of the Church,” he said, as one faction within the cathedral congregation has “undermined the priestly ministry” of the church’s appointed ministers.
“Since September 2011 we have been very patient and tolerant in hoping that sense will prevail and that there will be a change of attitude and behaviour in the Cathedral. Unfortunately we have received hostility, lies, insults and defamatory remarks from some members of the Cathedral. We have become email gossip news from faceless people who have malicious intentions.”
The bishop reported that over the last six weeks, there have been “ugly” incidents at the church. “Services have been disrupted” the bishop said, since 11 March 2012.
“Archdeacon Palo was interrogated by people who claimed to be leaders of the Cathedral when he arrived to conduct the service, and during Archdeacon Lowes’ pastoral visitation remarks were made insinuating that he is not welcomed as some people were questioning his presence.”
“The same interrogation was experienced by both Canon Long and Venerable Mariri and this time worship was disrupted and chaos erupted inside the Cathedral. These aggressive acts inside the Cathedral have not only traumatised some Parishioners and the Priest-in-Charge, but desecrated the Holy Eucharist so badly that Fr Rudolf Paulse resigned from his pastoral responsibilities on the 13th May 2012. The reports given to us have shocked us beyond belief and compelled us to act against the perpetrators,” the bishop said.
To deal with the crisis, Bishop Seoka said that he and the diocesan standing committee were compelled to “close the Cathedral and suspend all forms of worship, with immediate effect,” and “take disciplinary action against those who have been identified as leaders in disrupting worship.”
However, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria intervened, the bishop said, adding “our efforts to create a peaceful atmosphere and restoration of order at the Cathedral so that services are conducted for worshippers have been undermined.”
In a letter to members of the congregation in response to the court ruling, Bishop Seoka stated that the conduct of worship in an Anglican Cathedral was regulated by the church, not the state.
“Access to the microphones is given only to those who I authorise to conduct the service and not the churchwardens or other members of the congregation. Any notices must therefore only be given by the persons I have authorised to conduct the services.”
The bishop wrote that “as Fr Paulse was caused by you to resign, and as there is no priest immediately available, services can be conducted by [three lay ministers]. The services at 07:30 and 09:30 on Sundays will therefore again have to be Morning Prayer until I can appoint a suitable priest.”
Churchwarden Sibusiso Mnguni told the Sowetan newspaper her faction rejected the bishop’s decision to appoint lay ministers to say Morning Prayer for the time being. “We will ask our lawyers to send him a letter asking him to refrain from doing things the parish does not want. If he does not withdraw the letter, we will quietly walk out and when they are done we will hold our own service.”
First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.
SA court overturns bishop’s order to close cathedral: The Church of England Newspaper, May 27, 2012 p 6. June 4, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Diocese of Pretoria, Jo Seoka, Livingstone Ngewu
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Bishop Jo Seoka
A South African court has handed down an emergency order overturning the Bishop of Pretoria’s decision to close St Alban’s Cathedral to its congregation.
The intervention last week by the Pretoria High Court into the dispute between Bishop Johannes Soeka and the cathedral congregation is the latest installment in a dispute that has seen charges of misconduct leveled by both sides.
On 17 May 2012 Bishop Soeka announced he was temporarily closing the church following the resignation of its priest in charge, the Rev. Rudolph Paulse. Fr. Paulse had resigned earlier in the week claiming he had received death threats from members of the congregation.
The congregation has long been at odds with its bishop, and last year the bishop suspended for four months its late dean, the Very Rev. Livingstone Ngewu, for contumacy.
The dispute captured local attention when the bishop clashed with the Ngewu family after the dean died in February. The cathedral scheduled the memorial service for 14 February 2012, but the bishop intervened stating that he wanted the funeral to be held on 16 February.
The congregation and the dean’s family responded by moving the memorial service to the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral, while the bishop – who also serves as the president of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) — held his own service two days later at the Anglican Cathedral.
It is not known whether the dispute with the cathedral lies behind death threats made against the bishop in March. On 17 March 2012 the SACC released a statement saying “five men armed with guns arrived at Bishop Seoka’s Pretoria home, declaring their intention to kill the bishop and his wife. The bishop and his wife were not at home at the time, but the intruders returned later in the day looking for them.”
The latest dispute was a continuation of the power struggle between the bishop and the congregation, a member of the congregation who asked not to be named told The Church of England Newspaper.
A nominee of the bishop, Fr. Paulse was unpopular with one faction in the congregation and was finally forced out of the church last week. The bishop responded by closing the church until order was restored. However, the congregation received an injunction late on 18 May 2012 from the Pretoria High Court overturning the bishop’s order.
Charges of misconduct were quickly leveled by partisans for both groups in the local newspapers. Members of the congregation told The Sowetan the bishop was corrupt and had misappropriated cathedral funds. “He is a rascal bishop and we believe that he has lost his mind,” one parishioner said.
However, the bishop said the accusations were “baseless.”
“If indeed I stole R500,000 I should be in prison. They should have reported the matter to the police because anybody who steals that much money should be arrested. They should also come up with proof that indeed I stole that money,” the bishop said.
Formal charges of misconduct by Bishop Seoka have been filed with the primate, Archbishop of Thabo Makgoba by two priests and two church wardens. The bishop’s assistant told CEN Bishop Seoka was traveling and unable to respond to a request for clarification. However, last week the bishop told The Sowetan the charges were nonsense.
The bishop stated his critics were “trying to character assassinate me and discredit my leadership.”
First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.
