CARDINAL Francis Arinze, the man who was tipped two years ago to be the first Black Pope, celebrated Mass with African Catholics at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin last week.The mood was both reverent and celebratory, with many worshippers capturing images of the Cardinal on their camera phones.
Among the key messages during his charismatic sermon, Cardinal Arinze emphasised to the congregation that they must integrate into their local parishes and thank God for the possibilities offered to them in Ireland
“Do you integrate with the parish where you live?” Cardinal Arinze asked the congregation. “In the church, there are no strangers, there are no foreigners. Make the effort to get into the life of the parish, the diocese, the archdiocese, where you live.” He said there is “no other family like the Catholic Church”.
Cardinal Arinze reminded the worshippers that the word of God “does not change”. He said Catholicism cannot be bargained with, unlike buying and selling goods at markets. “With the Gospel,” he said, “it is not so, it does not change according to market forces, it’s not our word, it’s the word of the Lord. There are 10 Commandments – no discounts. It’s important we get this clear.”
He added that Christians must show their faith beyond Sunday mornings: “Show it not only when you go to Mass – and that is fundamental, if you don’t go to Mass you are not serious anymore – but on Mondays, Tuesdays…We are to be Christians every day.”
He also reminded Africans in Ireland that they are unofficial ambassadors for their countries. “By the behaviour of you, your country will be touched,” he said.
After the service, the Cardinal was waved off in celebratory fashion by the worshippers, some of whom had special connections with him.
“He is the one who confirmed me in the Onitsha archdiocese in 1973, so I’m very, very pleased about his visit to Ireland,” Paul Uzo told Metro Eireann. “When [Cardinal Arinze] came for the Confirmation of children in my parish – Ogburu Parish, Onitsha archdiocese – my late father in his welcome address pronounced that sooner or later, he would be made Cardinal and he’d go to the Vatican. Two weeks after the visit, he was made Cardinal. I’ve been telling my family the story of the great man, and that’s why I’ve taken the whole family to see him today.”
Patrick Heavey from Dublin said he’d enjoyed the service much more than the conventional Catholic Masses in Ireland. He particularly liked the musical end to the service, whereby a Nigerian cultural group initiated a percussion procession. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
Debbie Ricketts from Nigeria was impressed that Cardinal Arinze hadn’t forgotten his roots: “He’s in the Vatican and that hasn’t changed him at all. The accent is still very strong, he’s stayed true to himself. That was very reassuring – that you don’t need to change the way you talk to be accepted…
“Even when he said there’s no bargaining [with Biblical teachings], even in driving that home – that the Bible will not change for anyone –his sense of humour was very, very African still. It’s very African to bargain. Even in a shop where there’s a price label you’d try to get a discount. The humour was there and it was lovely.”
“Do you integrate with the parish where you live?” Cardinal Arinze asked the congregation. “In the church, there are no strangers, there are no foreigners. Make the effort to get into the life of the parish, the diocese, the archdiocese, where you live.” He said there is “no other family like the Catholic Church”.
Cardinal Arinze reminded the worshippers that the word of God “does not change”. He said Catholicism cannot be bargained with, unlike buying and selling goods at markets. “With the Gospel,” he said, “it is not so, it does not change according to market forces, it’s not our word, it’s the word of the Lord. There are 10 Commandments – no discounts. It’s important we get this clear.”
He added that Christians must show their faith beyond Sunday mornings: “Show it not only when you go to Mass – and that is fundamental, if you don’t go to Mass you are not serious anymore – but on Mondays, Tuesdays…We are to be Christians every day.”
He also reminded Africans in Ireland that they are unofficial ambassadors for their countries. “By the behaviour of you, your country will be touched,” he said.
After the service, the Cardinal was waved off in celebratory fashion by the worshippers, some of whom had special connections with him.
“He is the one who confirmed me in the Onitsha archdiocese in 1973, so I’m very, very pleased about his visit to Ireland,” Paul Uzo told Metro Eireann. “When [Cardinal Arinze] came for the Confirmation of children in my parish – Ogburu Parish, Onitsha archdiocese – my late father in his welcome address pronounced that sooner or later, he would be made Cardinal and he’d go to the Vatican. Two weeks after the visit, he was made Cardinal. I’ve been telling my family the story of the great man, and that’s why I’ve taken the whole family to see him today.”
Patrick Heavey from Dublin said he’d enjoyed the service much more than the conventional Catholic Masses in Ireland. He particularly liked the musical end to the service, whereby a Nigerian cultural group initiated a percussion procession. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
Debbie Ricketts from Nigeria was impressed that Cardinal Arinze hadn’t forgotten his roots: “He’s in the Vatican and that hasn’t changed him at all. The accent is still very strong, he’s stayed true to himself. That was very reassuring – that you don’t need to change the way you talk to be accepted…
“Even when he said there’s no bargaining [with Biblical teachings], even in driving that home – that the Bible will not change for anyone –his sense of humour was very, very African still. It’s very African to bargain. Even in a shop where there’s a price label you’d try to get a discount. The humour was there and it was lovely.”
