Cardinal Arinze is one of those rare persons who can communicate with others simply by looking at them

CATHOLICISM AND ITS OPENNESS TO OTHER RELIGIONS

(Click here to see a copy of the Lecture given at the Institute of Catholic Studies and the International Studies Center at John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio, 26th October, 2000)

Francis Cardinal Arinze is one of those rare persons who can communicate with others simply by looking at them. The first thing that impresses one about him is the smile in his eyes, a concrete sign of a life dedicated to share with people the love of Christ. Such a gift for communication serves the cardinal well in his work as president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, a post he has held since 1985 -- the same year in which he was named cardinal by Pope John Paul II.

Cardinal Arinze, 68, is dedicated to dialogue with believers of other faiths, particularly Muslims, as Islam and Christianity together have followers who make up more than half of the world's population. Arinze, a Nigerian, stressed that key words in the Church's relations with other faiths are human dignity, respect for the human person and the right for religious freedom.

He was bom in 1932 in Onitsha, Nigeria, from a family of African traditional religion. He was baptized Catholic at the age of 9. "God's grace works in ways we do not understand," he said, recalling his childhood. "I was very impressed by that parish priest who baptized me, and after watching him for a long time, I felt the desire of becoming myself a priest." From that moment on, his path was the one indicated by Christ. He entered the seminary at the age of 13, was ordained a priest in 1958 and a bishop in 1965.

"My background has also helped me appreciate the elements that are good in African traditional religion and culture," he added, trying to explain how people of all cultures and faiths can enrich one another in their diversities. And even within the Church itself there is room for diversity, he pointed out. "The Christian faith is the same in every continent, and it must be recognizable in every continent. But the Church is also local, in style and culture .... "

(The copy above is taken from an Our Sunday Visitor article by Erminia Santanagelo)

CATHOLICISM AND ITS OPENNESS TO OTHER RELIGIONS (Click here to see a copy of the Lecture given at the Institute of Catholic Studies and the International Studies Center at John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio, 26th October, 2000)
	Francis Cardinal Arinze is one of those rare persons who can communicate with others simply by looking at them. The first thing that impresses one about him is the smile in his eyes, a concrete sign of a life dedicated to share with people the love of Christ. Such a gift for communication serves the cardinal well in his work as president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, a post he has held since 1985 -- the same year in which he was named cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal Arinze, 68, is dedicated to dialogue with believers of other faiths, particularly Muslims, as Islam and Christianity together have followers who make up more than half of the world's population. Arinze, a Nigerian, stressed that key words in the Church's relations with other faiths are human dignity, respect for the human person and the right for religious freedom. He was bom in 1932 in Onitsha, Nigeria, from a family of African traditional religion. He was baptized Catholic at the age of 9. "God's grace works in ways we do not understand," he said, recalling his childhood. "I was very impressed by that parish priest who baptized me, and after watching him for a long time, I felt the desire of becoming myself a priest." From that moment on, his path was the one indicated by Christ. He entered the seminary at the age of 13, was ordained a priest in 1958 and a bishop in 1965.
"My background has also helped me appreciate the elements that are good in African traditional religion and culture," he added, trying to explain how people of all cultures and faiths can enrich one another in their diversities. And even within the Church itself there is room for diversity, he pointed out. "The Christian faith is the same in every continent, and it must be recognizable in every continent. But the Church is also local, in style and culture .... " (The copy above is taken from an Our Sunday Visitor article by Erminia Santanagelo)