Alert to Developing World Catholics: chasm between orthodox believers and radicals in western power

This is not a UN item. Still, I believe that everyone, especially those in the developing world, most especially those in Africa must be alerted to an abomination that just occured at Jesuit-run Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Francis Carindal Arinze of Nigeria, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, was invited to address the Georgetown graduation commencement ceremony a few days ago. The article below explains what happened to him for speaking the truths of the faith.

I urge everyone in the developing world to get this news report below to as many high level churchmen as possible, especially Cardinals. They should know what orthodox faith faces in the seats of western power. The people that insulted Cardinal Arinze are very powerful within academia, certainly, but also within American and western society. And they are also a large power within the Church.

I can think of no better example of how far apart are orthodox believers and the radicals in western power centers than what is told in this story.

First, spread the story below far and wide, and especially among the Episcopate. Every Bishop and Cardinal in Africa, Latin America, and the Far East must read this.

Second, email John DeGioia, President of Georgetown University at president@georgetown.edu, and tell him you are angry at how Cardinal Arinze was insulted by Georgetown and that Georgetown owes Cardinal Arinze and all Catholics an apology.

WASHINGTON -- A Roman Catholic cardinal seen as a top contender to succeed Pope John Paul II has sparked student and faculty protests at Georgetown University with a remark he made about homosexuals in a commencement speech.

A letter protesting the speech by Cardinal Francis Arinze was signed by about 70 faculty members at the Jesuit university and delivered Wednesday to Jane McAuliffe, dean of the university's school of arts and sciences.

McAuliffe, a specialist in Islamic studies, invited Arinze -- president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue -- to speak on Christian-Muslim relations at the school's graduation ceremonies last Saturday.

Instead, the Nigerian prelate told the graduates that happiness is found not in the pursuit of material wealth or pleasures of the flesh, but by fervently adhering to religious beliefs.

"In many parts of the world, the family is under siege," Arinze said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by the university. "It is opposed by an anti-life mentality as is seen in contraception, abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. It is scorned and banalized by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions and cut in two by divorce."

Theresa Sanders, a professor of theology at the university, protested by leaving the stage where Arinze was speaking. Other students upset with the comments also reportedly left, according to e-mails on a subscription list used by many of the university's gay and lesbian students.

Ed Ingebretsen, a professor of English at Georgetown and a priest in the American Catholic Church, said Wednesday that Arinze's remarks are in line with Roman Catholic doctrine, but nonetheless seemed out of place at the commencement ceremony.

"These things are exactly what he's paid to say," Ingebretsen said. "(But) it's a graduation; why he decided to do the pro-family thing no one seems to know."

Ingebretsen said he was compelled, as a writer, to post a short apology on the e-mail subscription list "on behalf of Catholics" for Arinze's "insensitive remarks." Ingebretsen said the remarks were "un-Christian."

Tommaso Astarita, a professor of history at Georgetown, called the message by Arinze "wildly inappropriate" for a commencement ceremony. Astarita said the comments may have been more palatable had they been made in a different setting, such as an invited lecture.

"I personally was rather offended by it," said Astarita, one of the professors circulating the protest letter forwarded to McAuliffe. "I thought it was divisive and inappropriate."

In an e-mail to college's faculty members, the dean said she was "very surprised" by the content of Arinze's speech.

"I am deeply concerned that students, parents and faculty found parts of the commencement address upsetting to them," McAuliffe wrote. "I'm sure that Cardinal Arinze did not intend to hurt any of his audience, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen."

McAuliffe has set aside at least two hours in her office Friday to talk to any faculty members or students about the cardinal's remarks.

On Wednesday, she issued a two-sentence statement acknowledging that she had been contacted by several students and faculty "to express their reaction, both negative and positive" to the cardinal's address. "As an academic community, vigorous and open discussion lies at the heart of what we do, and there are many different voices in the conversation."

Arinze, 70, is widely mentioned as one of the candidates to succeed John Paul II, which would make him the first African pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Arinze ascended through the ranks of the church's hierarchy in Africa, where Catholicism is flourishing. He was called by John Paul II in 1984 to work in the Vatican.

Arinze is known for his strict conservative adherence to Catholic law, while many Catholics in the United States and Europe push for more contemporary policies.

Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Catholic archdiocese of Washington, said Arinze has a "deep perspective" through his longtime work in the church with many cultures.

"His message was certainly consistent with Catholic teaching, which seems appropriate since this is a Catholic university," "Gibbs said. "Hopefully new graduates will be inspired by his reminder that happiness does come through God."

Oh yeah. If a non-Italian is chosen, he is likely to be an older prelate, so as to "limit" his power. The Church is a huge, cumbersome institution, change comes slowly. My bet is on an Italian, but Card. Arinze is making great points with the "conservatives" in the College. (Labels inside the College of Cardinals are about useless, but I use "conservative" and "orthodox" as interchangeable. Some, like the odius Card. Kasper are AT BEST heretics, others like Card. Arinze are quite orthodox, but the office makes the man, so to speak. Even Card. Kasper (Heaven forbid his election!) would likely be "orthodox" in many ways as Pope.

It's about time someone handed it to the ultraliberal schools. The question is, where are these kids getting their catechesis from? That's the only way we can explain the phenomenon at places like Georgetown.

Cardinal Biffi is an apparent possibility. No matter how you look at it, though, being "conservative" is not good enough. One must observe what these folks say and do out there: saying that the do-it-yourself "mass" has ended is not necessarily going far enough in my opinion. Issuing a universal indult won't cut it. Mandating a change in textbooks used in catechism classes - going back to the Baltimore and Roman Catechism, for instance - is significant enough to give people hope.

If anyone knows how I can contact either of the two, please let me know. And also those responsible for backing away from the truth, stating something like, "if this is made public then the French and German bishops will declare a schism". I have to tell these people somehow that such cowardly behavior will foster schism anyways. So let them have their schism and we'll work on finding our way back onto the narrow path once again.

Such is the nature and history of the Christian faith. Always side stepping this way and that but with the core always enduring. Did you catch Philip Jenkins Atlantic Monthly article last October entitled The Next Christianity ? Huge demographic changes afoot. Africa is nearly 50% Christian, up from 10% a century ago--the community of Christian faith, as it did in medieval times, supercedes the nation states of the continent (which are failing as we know). There are more Catholic baptisms in the Philippines than in Italy, France, Spain and Poland combined. Pentecostals, nearly 400 million strong, may reach 1 billion in the next 35 years. They too, are heavily represented in the developing world.

Jenkins also goes into details about the perversions of faith you mention. Some weird "Christian" religions popping up in Africa and South America.

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