THE Catholic Chaplain for the African community in Ireland has called on Africans to come out en masse to welcome Cardinal Francis Arinze during his three-day visit, which begins on Tuesday 22 May.
Fr Sylvester Onyeachonam said the visit of Cardinal Arinze – the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican – will serve as a meeting point for African groups to unite, engage in dialogue and speak with one voice on issues of common concern.
Cardinal Arinze will in the country from May 22 to 24 to address the annual Legion of Mary Conference of Priests and Bishops working in Ireland.
Fr Onyeachonam said the reception on 22 May, for the man who was in 2005 widely tipped to be the first Black Pope in history, has been planned in two phases.
There will be a brief low-key reception at Dublin Airport to welcome the cardinal as he arrives from Rome on 22 May.
The main event, on the same day, will include a non-denominational church service, to take place at 6pm in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. It will be followed by cultural entertainment, speeches and light refreshments.
The chairman of the Cardinal Francis Arinze reception committee, John Kingsley Onwumereh, said the reception of Cardinal Arinzea is an opportunity for the international community in Ireland to know that the African continent, and Nigeria in particular, has an “important personality” at the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
“Cardinal Francis Arinze is an illustrious son of Nigeria who has helped to promote the country abroad,” he said. “His coming to Ireland is for us to tap into that image he has created.”
Cardinal Arinze will in the country from May 22 to 24 to address the annual Legion of Mary Conference of Priests and Bishops working in Ireland.
Fr Onyeachonam said the reception on 22 May, for the man who was in 2005 widely tipped to be the first Black Pope in history, has been planned in two phases.
There will be a brief low-key reception at Dublin Airport to welcome the cardinal as he arrives from Rome on 22 May.
The main event, on the same day, will include a non-denominational church service, to take place at 6pm in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. It will be followed by cultural entertainment, speeches and light refreshments.
The chairman of the Cardinal Francis Arinze reception committee, John Kingsley Onwumereh, said the reception of Cardinal Arinzea is an opportunity for the international community in Ireland to know that the African continent, and Nigeria in particular, has an “important personality” at the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
“Cardinal Francis Arinze is an illustrious son of Nigeria who has helped to promote the country abroad,” he said. “His coming to Ireland is for us to tap into that image he has created.”
