N.C.C. tour protest upsets minister

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 4

N.C.C. tour protest upsets minister

PA Auckland mThe National Council of Churches should address itself to the horrendous problems of east, north, and central Africa and leave South African Christians to sort out their own problems, says the Rev Don Corban, of Ngaruawahia. In a special statement yesterday from the pulpit of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, he said he was totally unimpressed with a call by the National Council of Churches for the New Zealand Rugby Union to call off its proposed tour of South Africa.

Mr Corban s?id the council was falling into the trap into which many church councils had fallen through the ages. “In the face of a dearth of spiritual power, they have turned to temporal power to solve problems. “In the case of the National Council of

Churches, they seem to be ignoring the example of Jesus Christ who spent no time at all in trying to overthrow the colonial powers of his day. “Instead, he sought to fight the real battle which involves changing man’s nature by the renewing of his mind,” he said. Mr Corban said that if the National Council of Churches wanted the sort of political freedom and justice for 17 million blacks in South Africa that hundreds of millions of blacks in the rest of the African continent had obtained “then I weep for them.” “The conditions of the black people in Africa are Eathetic, to say the least I now of no African country which has a system of changing the Government by democratic means. “Most have no real rights, they are forced to live and work where their Governments tell them, they grow

the crops the Government tells them, few have a reasonable standard of living, reasonable access to consumer goods, much chance of work, or a decent education,” said Mr Corban. He added, “For millions it is a real battle just to stay alive. Some of this is brought on by drought, but much by ihept government, bungling, corruption, and wars fought over nonissues. ‘There are one or two exceptions, but the rule is that millions are no better off now than they were under colonial Powers.” Commenting on the call by the National Council of Churches for New Zealanders to insist that the All Black tour of South Africa be stopped, Mr Corban said, “If the All Blacks are encouraged to play with France, which will test nuclear weapons until the year 2000, in our backyard,

let them play with South Africa. “If we trade and play sport with Iran, whose record of human rights is so abysmal, let us play sport with South Africa. “If we trade and play sport with Libya, Russia, East Germany, China and so on, then South Africa should not be excluded. “As Christians, we are not permitted to be selective in our morality.” Mr Corban said that before he went to Africa and saw both sides, he would have agreed with those who sought to boycott South Africa. “But after 10 years in East Africa, I say “Let the National Council of Churches address themselves to the horrendous problems in east, north and central Africa, if they must interfere, and let South African Christians sort out their own problems,” he said.