 Media Credit: Cary Lat Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria is a leading candidate for the Papacy.
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Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria made his first visit to Boston College during one of his few visits to the United States last Tuesday. He held a theological discussion in Burns Library prior to saying Mass and giving a lecture later that evening.
Members of the BC community, including a large representation of students and professors from the theology department, gathered in the British Authors room in Burns to pose questions for Arinze.
Cardinal Arinze is currently president of the Pontifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican. He was appointed to the council by Pope John Paul II in 1985, the same year Arinze became a cardinal. According to many experts, Arinze will be one of the top candidates of the papabili, the list of possible successors to John Paul II. Arinze has recently been speaking to a wide array of audiences on the topic of inter-religous dialogue. Many church historians believe that the electors of the next Pope may be looking for someone who is an expert in this field.
In his opening remarks, Arinze stated that, in today’s society, “we don’t have a choice but to be in favor of inter-religious dialogue.” He commented on the ideal nature of inter-religious dialogue, stating that “it’s not a debate or a contest to see who will win.”
Arinze added that in order to represent one’s religion properly in a dialogue, “they must have a clear-cut image of who they are.” The youthful 68-year-old cardinal, speaking with an almost musical accent, used a great deal of wit to illustrate his points. “If they are not sure,” he said, “it is rather risky. It is as if a citizen of a country does not know the name of the president or the foreign minister and wishes to become an ambassador.”
The Cardinal was asked to explain how the Church’s missionary activity in Africa fits in with his work with inter-religious dialogue. “Evangelization is one element of the Church’s mission — everything Christ sent the Church to do. Missionary work is about proclaiming Christ to the people, and if they believe then they become Christians. It is about listening, trying to understand what we are saying, and there is a hope of conversion,” said Arinze. He added, “With inter-religious dialogue, the goal is mutual understanding. From there we can be open to growth and harmony in society.”
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