Abstract
In the first part of the article the author describes the position of Calvinism and Catholicism in South Africa from the historical, demographic and socio-cultural points of view. Following this there is a report, with comments, on two studies carried out on religious roles in these two Churches. The first of these studies was conducted by C.J. Alant on the role of the pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk) and the second by J. Kiernan on the Catholic priest.
Among the most outstanding aspects of these two studies the author emphasises that in both Churches the roles of religious still are closely linked with their functions relating to the sacraments and worship. He emphasises that, as a result, these role models tend to maintain the status quo ; from the point of view of non-involvement in politics and privatisation of religion the Catholic priest may be able to play a more vital role than the Calvinist pastor.