The Diocese of Cape Town has given its support to Bishop Jo Seoka of Pretoria, who has come under fire for his support of the miners at Marikana.

Meeting on the second anniversary of the shootings at Marikana, the Synod of the Diocese commended Bishop Seoka "in his efforts to... be with those who suffer."

In a resolution proposed by Archdeacon Terry Lester of Christ Church, Constantia, Cape Town, the Synod also commended for prayer the Marikana commission of inquiry, and its chairperson, Justice Ian Farlam, who serves as Provincial Chancellor of the Church.

It committed the church "to holding in God's care and love whose who suffered unspeakable loss at Marikana."

Proposing the resolution, Father Lester urged that the diocese support Bishop Seoka "in his efforts to ensure that we as South Africans and even the world see these [the miners] as God's children, particularly those who died and their families."

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, the president of the Synod, said Bishop Seoka had "worked tirelessly to bring the issue of the rights of miners before those who have power to effect changes."

In another resolution, the Synod noted with concern the current fighting in Iraq, "in particular the conditions in which Christians have lost lives, livelihoods, properties and homes."

Its resolution added: "Synod urges all parties in the Iraqi conflict to seek the ways of peace and reconciliation and calls on Christians everywhere to offer whatever aid is possible in the circumstances."

Opening the Synod earlier, Archbishop Makgoba called for prayer for the people of Palestine and Israel and for victims of violence in Nigeria.

He added: "What we have seen on our television screens during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is deplorable and deeply shocking; just as shocking is the fact that similar indiscriminate killing of men, women and children in Nigeria continues month after month with a fraction of the outrage expressed over the conflict in the Middle East.

"We might ask: Why does the United States not erupt in outrage over what is happening in Gaza? And why do Africa and the world not erupt in outrage at the slaughter in Nigeria?"

Archbishop Makgoba also said South Africa's failure to provide proper sanitation to all communities was "a failure to address ourselves to upholding basic human dignity."

He continued: "I am no fan of the tactics of some activists and politicians in Cape Town in drawing attention to these problems, but we cannot deny that in one sense the excesses of Cape Town’s toilet wars have been a good thing: they have woken us up to the reality of how our brothers and sisters live."

The full text of the Archbishop's Charge is on his blog at:

http://archbishop.anglicanchurchsa.org/2014/08/archbishops-charge-to-diocesan-synod.html