A Catholic bishop? It's only a matter of time

Tu Tangata, Issue 33, 1 December 1986, Page 46

A Catholic bishop? It's only a matter of time

Dan Whata is “positive” a Maori will soon become a Catholic bishop. “I know we could never outguess the Almighty on what the future holds but I’m positive the appointment will take place. “I say that in the near future we will see the appointment of a Maori priest as a bishop. “The response overall has been positive and all the signs are there. I’m sure it will only be a matter of time now.” He said there was a sequence of events which helped him come to that conclusion. “The first thing really was the hui whanau in October for Maori Catholics at St Joseph’s Girls College. There were several strong messages which came out of that including our belief that Maori people must have a Maori bishop if we are to achieve Maori Catholic solidarity.” “The message came through that there must be changes within the present Catholic structure so that the Maori and Pakeha can come together rather than

oppose each other. “That’s in terms of Maori theology, Maori liturgy and the incorporation of tikanga Maori. “All of this hinges on our ability to achieve solidarity. “Following that was the Vatican visit where our submission was received positively. We had support there from others besides our own immediate group. “Then the visit of the Pope to Aotearoa was for me an endorsement of the things we were asking for. His response to us indicated all that. “We received support from the other bishops who raised the issue with the Pope at their own dinner in Wellington. “From all accounts his reaction was again positive. “To my way of thinking all those things combined give the signs.” He said he hadn’t expected an announcement about the submission to be made by the Pope at the Maori welcome because time was needed to consider the special request. He said he had a good chance to talk

further with the Pope during the ceremony. Two pouwhenua were specially erected at the entranceway to the domain for the ceremony. The left hand pou represented the arrival of Catholicism in New Zealand. And the figure represented Bishop Pompalier, who established the Church in the South Pacific. The right hand pou symbolised Maori aspiration and the desire for solidarity under a Maori bishop. The as yet unnamed Maori bishop is represented by a small tiki surrounded by six crosses depicting the six members of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. “I explained the significance of the two pou to the Pope, reinforcing what we had been saying in our submission,” said Mr Whata. He described the time he spent accompanying the Pope as being similar to an experience he had in Rome at St Peter’s Square. “For me, we (the Maori) have a profound respect for the spirituality of each

person. We understand the spirituality of people through our own taha Maori. “If you look at it from that base you begin to understand the feeling I’m talking about.” About 50,000 people attended the powhiri at the Auckland Domain. A 2000-strong party welcomed the Pope onto a makeshift marae with Dame Whina Cooper leading the karanga. Sir Hepi Te Heu Heu and Sir James Henare were the speakers. Pope John Paul gave a spontaneous speech to the Maori people acknowledg ing his appreciation of the traditions. He was presented with taonga including a korowai, waka huia and pounamu cross.

Late in his mass homily he noted that the strengths of the Maori culture were often the very values which modern society was in danger of losing. These values included an acknowledgement of the spiritual dimension in all aspects of life, a profound reverence for nature and the environment, a sense of community, loyalty to family and a great willingness to share.