Bishops Diocesan College faces criticism over pride flag dispute

The Old Directorate Committee (ODC) of Bishops Diocesan College has caused significant controversy by demanding the removal of the pride flag from the school grounds.

ODC Committee Demands

In a letter addressed to the school board, the committee insisted that the use of flagpoles be limited to three official flags: the South African flag, the Bishops flag, and the St George's flag. According to the voting results (10 in favor and one abstention), the committee's position is that only these three flags should be used for official purposes.

The ODC stated that these three flags belong to everyone because they 'do not represent any faction and do not ask any member of the community to take sides.' However, the committee believes that other world flags, regardless of the importance of their cause, do the opposite: each one prompts the school to take a stance on a controversial issue, and the appearance or absence of such a flag is interpreted as a statement.

Position on the Pride Flag

The ODC committee clarified that the issue concerns the pride flag flown by the school in June, during Pride Month. Although the ODC's letter welcomes 'every gay and lesbian person,' it argues that the school's care for any of its members is best expressed not through a flag.

ODC wrote that the message boys should receive—'you are welcome, you are safe, you are ours'—should be conveyed directly to them, through the voice and behavior of the school itself, and this will be said more strongly than if it were raised on a pole next to the question 'Whose flag will be next?'

Furthermore, the ODC warned that if the school board decides to use flags other than the three official ones, 'a full written flag policy must be published for the Bishops community.'

Alumnus and Leadership Reaction

However, Anton Taylor, a Bishops alumnus and South African comedian, spoke out against the ODC's position. Taylor was previously part of the ODC from 2009/10 to 2019/20. He stated that these flags have been flying for years, and the pride flag is only raised for two days a year, and that the committee is 'pretending to create a problem that doesn't exist to target gay students.'

Taylor also publicly distanced himself from the ODC and its views on Instagram, noting that the committee sent a letter to the entire OD community—thousands of people—on their behalf. He added that committee members actively promoted their stance in WhatsApp groups, called people, and even enlisted 'Bishops friends' to support their initiative.

Despite the director's comments, the boys at the school were already bearing the weight of this issue. In his video, Taylor called the current committee shameful and stated that they are targeting gay people. Since then, Taylor has severed ties with the committee but remains fond of the school.

School and Parent Position

In a letter to parents, the school director, Tony Ryler, informed them that the third flag would continue to alternate with flags for various reasons, including Africa Day, 16 Days of Activism, cancer awareness, Movember, the Bokke flag, World AIDS Day, and the pride flag. He emphasized that he views this flag as a symbol of inclusion.

Parents, alumni, staff, and friends of Bishops, united under the name 'Supporting A Progressive Bishops,' supported Ryler's view. This group describes itself as advocates for the belief that Bishops belongs to everyone in its community, and that the school can serve as an example in the wider life of the country.

In response to the ODC's letter, the group, which gathered over 300 signatures from the Bishops community against the ODC, stated that flying the pride flag is merely a small gesture. They referred to the South African Constitution and noted that the school is an Anglican foundation patronized by the Archbishop of Cape Town.

This group cited the example of St George's Cathedral, where the Archbishop resides, flying the pride flag since the mid-1990s, which is about thirty years ago. They also mentioned that Archbishop Tutu fought homophobia with the same passion with which he fought apartheid and could not 'worship a God who is homophobic.'

The group concluded that this flag, which was described as 'close to home,' speaks to dignity and care for their own children, and that a school existing to inspire people should let every person know that they matter.

www.2oceansvibe.comJuly 9, 09:30

Committee of Bishops demands end to use of pride flag at Bishops school

The Old Diocesan Committee (ODC) at the Bishops Diocesan College has decided to demand that the school's Council cease flying the pride flag and limit flagpoles to three official banners: the South African flag, the Bishops flag, and the St George's flag.

Origins of the Flag Dispute

This vote, which passed with ten votes and one abstention, formalizes a position that has been accumulating since 2022. That was when the Anglican boys' college in Cape Town first drew public attention for raising the progressive pride flag during Pride Month.

Committee's Arguments

In a letter published on the recently launched United Bishops website, the ODC argues that if the school opens its flagpoles for one purpose, it opens them for all. The committee emphasized that such a policy entails a constant obligation to define which purposes will be represented and which will not, and to defend these decisions before a community that will never fully agree.

However, the letter was carefully phrased as a governance issue, not an anti-inclusive call. The ODC assured that it treats all gay and lesbian individuals in the Bishops community the same as everyone else and wants them to know they are fully welcome there.

Expansion of the Discussion

Next comes a point that turns the dispute over a single flag into a more complex problem for the school. The ODC writes that if the Council decides to fly flags beyond the three official ones, the policy must apply equally to all other flags, including Palestinian and Israeli, Ukrainian, Taiwanese, Tibetan, and others.

Director's and Students' Positions

Director Tony Riler responded to parents this year in his letter by declining, stating that the school's third flagpole would continue to alternate between flags for various occasions, such as '16 Days of Activism,' Africa Day, the Bokke flag, cancer awareness, Movember, World AIDS Day, and the pride flag. Other Anglican schools, such as St Andrew's and St John's, have also used the pride flag.

Riler explained that he viewed the pride flag as a symbol of inclusion, noting that people are welcome at Bishops and do not need to pretend to be someone else. He concluded with a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a former guest of Bishops: 'All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, men, women, gays, heterosexuals, all, all, all.'

Structural Conflict

The conflict is structural. In the letter, the ODC refers to the Diocesan College Council, Rondebosch, Incorporation Act, 1891, which enshrines governance under the Council, not the Executive body, and requests refraining from flying unofficial flags until the Council makes a decision. Riler's letter does not address this governance argument; it is addressed to parents and students, not the ODC, and frames the opposition as 'discord,' not a constitutional challenge to who has the authority to decide.

Role of Rob Hersov

Rob Hersov, a Bishops parent and Michaelhouse alumnus, publicly supported the campaign, arguing in a BizNews article from July 7th that the school should adopt institutional neutrality. He stated that this is a declaration that Bishops belongs equally to every student, regardless of their race, religion, politics, or sexuality. Hersov pointed to a global trend: by the end of 2024, at least 148 institutions serving about 2.6 million students had adopted formal neutrality policies.

The debate resurfaced in 2024 when Matriculation class graduates and members of the Student Representative Forum wrote an open letter requesting that the pride flag not be flown. They stated: 'We do not accept symbols that seek to divide us into groups based on attributes we cannot control.' They added that only the school and country flags are symbols representing all students. Hersov noted that in response, they were told they needed more 'education' about diversity. He countered: 'Education that continues until disagreements cease is not education. It is, at best, persuasion by attrition, and critics will call it indoctrination.'

Thus, the positions of the parties are set: old alumni want the Council to decide. The Director asserts that the Executive body has already made a decision. The dissenting students were instructed to undergo 'education.' And somewhere on the flagpole in Rondebosch, the third banner continues to turn.

noticiasaominuto.comJuly 2, 09:05

Vatican excommunicates six bishops from Fraternidade São Pio X community

The Vatican announced on Thursday that the ultra-conservative Catholic group Fraternidade Sacerdotal de São Pio X has been automatically excommunicated for committing an 'act of sectarian nature' after ordaining four bishops without papal permission.

Details of the Excommunication

According to Vatican News, the bishops from Fraternidade Sacerdotal de São Pio X—specifically Alfonso de Galaretta and Bernard Fellay as principal and co-consecrators, along with the recently ordained bishops Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Puansinet de Sivry, and Mark Hanappier—automatically fell under a 'latae sententiae' excommunication reserved by the Apostolic See.

The reason was the commission of an 'act of sectarian nature': 'the episcopal ordination of four priests without papal mandate and against the will of the Supreme Pontiff.'

Official Statement

This statement was formalized in a decree published on Thursday, July 2nd, and signed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandes, who is the head of the Dicastery for Divine Revelation.