Isifebe ‘Namakhosi Omhlaba’
UMLANDO weLobukholwa ugcwele izibonelo zokuthengisa ngethonya nezokuzigaxa ezindabeni zombuso. Ake sicabangele ezimbalwa zazo. UCharlemagne (742-814 C.E.) wayengumbusi owabona izinzuzo zokuzimbandakanya nenkolo nezokuba nesibusiso sabefundisi beSonto lamaKatolika.
IThe New Encyclopaedia Britannica ichaza ukuthi upapa wagcoba uCharlemagne, uyise, nomfowabo, lapho esungula uhlu olusha lobukhosi ngemva kokuba umkhaya owawubusa ‘ugudluliwe.’ Khona-ke iyanezela: “Ubuhlobo obungokwezombangazwe phakathi kwamaFrank [abantu bakaCharlemagne] noPapa bemelene namaLombard baqiniswa ngesikhathi esifanayo. . . . UCharles [owaba uCharlemagne] wakuvuma ngaphambili ukuhlangana okuseduze kombuso wesikhashana nesonto.”
Ngonyaka ka-800 C.E., uPapa Leo III, “ezimisele ukwenza uCharles umbusi” woMbuso waseNtshonalanga Roma, wamfaka umqhele eMiseni likaKhisimusi eSt. Peter’s, eRoma.
Isifebe Esinobugovu
Kodwa isifebe sifuna inkokhelo. UCharlemagne wayengamkhokhela ngani ummeleli weBabiloni, iRoma? “UCharles . . . waphindaphinda, eSt. Peter’s Basilica, isithembiso sikayise sokudlulisela izingxenye ezinkulu zeItaly ngaphansi kokubusa kukapapa.” Lomthombo ofanayo uyanezela: “Ngenxa yokushisekela kwakhe inkolo okuthonywe ezombangazwe, umbuso nesonto kwakhula kwaba iqembu lezombangazwe nezingokomoya.
Esinye isibonelo sethonya elinamandla lenkolo lesikhathi esidlule ekubuseni siwuCardinal Wolsey waseNgilandi (1475-1530). IBritannica ithi ‘wayeyisikhulu sesonto lamaKatolika nesikhulu sombuso esasilawula uhulumeni weNkosi yaseNgilandi uHenry VIII. . . . NgoDecember 1515 uWolsey waba isikhulu esiholayo kuhulumeni waseNgilandi. . . . UWolsey wasebenzisa amandla akhe amakhulu esikhundla nawesonto ukuba aqongelele ingcebo edlulwa kuphela eyeNkosi.” Uma kusetshenziswa ulimi olungokomfanekiso lwesAmbulo, ubufebe bezinga elikhulu bufuna inkokhelo yezinga elikhulu.
Esinye isibonelo esinedumela elibi sethonya lenkolo ezindabeni zoMbuso kwakuyisikhulu sesonto lamaKatolika esingumbusi waseRichelieu (1585-1642), esasebenzisa amandla amakhulu eFrance futhi saqongelela nengcebo ‘eyayiyiningi ngisho nangezindinganiso zaleyonkathi,’ kusho iBritannica.
URichelieu walandelwa esinye futhi isikhulu sesonto lamaKatolika, uJules Mazarin (1602-61), esakhonza njengongqongqoshe wokuqala waseFrance phakathi nokubusa kweNkosi uLouis XIV. Nakuba ayengeyena umpristi omisiwe, wenziwa isikhulu sesonto lamaKatolika ngo-1641 uPapa Urban VIII. Isikhulu sesonto lamaKatolika uMazarin naso sasizifunela umcebo. Iencyclopedia ithi: “Izitha zikaMazarin zamsola ngobugovu bakhe. Wayenezikhundla zombuso nezenkolo eziningi futhi ngezinye izikhathi wayedideka ethatha imali yasebukhosini ecabanga ukuthi eyakhe.”
Ezikhathini zanamuhla inkolo yamanga isaqongelela ingcebo futhi izama ukuthonya, futhi uma kunokwenzeka, nokulawula imibuso yezombangazwe. Esinye isibonelo esivelele inhlangano yomshoshaphansi yobuKatolika ebizwa ngokuthi iOpus Dei (ngesiLatini, uMsebenzi KaNkulunkulu), leyo okwamanje ejabulela ukuthandwa upapa, futhi ngokomlobi uLawrence Lader, “ezinikele ngokuphelele kwezombangazwe zokumelana nobukhomanisi nezokushisekela ushintsho.” Inesimiso sokuthatha ukuhlakanipha kwentsha engamaKatolika ngezikole zayo eziphakeme namayunivesithi bese ibeka amadoda ayo ezikhundleni eziphakeme zethonya nokulawula uhulumeni, ezomnotho, nezokuxhumana. ESpain baba nosuku olukhulu ngaphansi kukamashiqela wobuFasci ongumKatolika uFranco, lapho, phakathi nenkathi eyodwa, abayi-10 kumalungu akhe omkhandlu kahulumeni ayi-19 babekuOpus Dei ebusayo.a
EUnited States, abavangeli beTV baziwa ngokubukisa kwabo ngengcebo nezindlela zokuphila zokunethezeka. Abanye abefundisi bobuProthestani baye bangenela ezombangazwe ngokuqhosha futhi bafuna ngisho nokuzuza ubongameli. Akukho kungabaza ngakho, ukuthi nakuba sisesimweni sokuwa, isifebe esidala, kungakhathaliseki indlela esizimelela ngayo, sisajabulela izivunulo nokunethezeka kwamandla futhi sizama ukukhomba ngophakathi.—IsAmbulo 17:4.
Kodwa kuthiwani ngegama lalesifebe, iBabiloni Elikhulu? Lokho kusiza kanjani ekuqiniseni ukuthi ungubani owesifazane ofanekiselwa kusAmbulo?
[Umbhalo waphansi]
a “Ukuze uthole ukwaziswa okwengeziwe ngeOpus Dei nokuhileleka kwesonto kwezombangazwe, bheka izincwadi iHot Money and the Politics of Debt, kaR. T. Naylor, nethi Politics, Power, and the Church, kaL. Laden
[Izithombe ekhasini 6]
Izikhulu zesonto lamaKatolika uWolsey, uMazarin noRichelieu zaqongelela umcebo lapho zikhonza eMbusweni
[Umthombo]
Photos: Culver Pictures