Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Pope’s special envoy to the forthcoming 9th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences in Manila expects “the Eucharistic dimension of mission” to be highlighted at the event, as well as dialogue with other religions. He is looking forward “with great joy and great hope” to this important August 10-16 event that will address the theme “Living the Eucharist in Asia”, he told UCA News in Rome.
Cardinal Arinze recalled that as head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue he was on a working visit to South Korea in October 2002 when John Paul II appointed him as Prefect to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and he believes this latter posting led Pope Benedict to send him to Manila.
More than a year ago, the FABC leadership asked Pope Benedict to send his representative to their Manila Plenary Assembly which will discuss “Living the Eucharist in Asia.”
“I am very happy about this, because to meet the bishops of Asia is already a blessing. It is furthermore a good thing for the Church that representatives of bishops’ conferences are meeting - no matter what the topic,” Cardinal Arinze said.
“I am happy to meet them, and sit with them and listen to them”, he added. The cardinal made it clear that he was not coming “as one who has all the answers in my pocket”.
“I will not behave in that way,” he added with a big smile.
He confirmed, however, that the theme of dialogue with other religions would feature in his talks, though not as the central theme. “It has to come in somehow because in Asia today other religions are a reality.”
“As it lives the Holy Eucharist in Asia, the Catholic Church cannot not take notice of people of other religions”, he said, “and in discussing the Holy Eucharist in Asia today, it has to take into account the existence and the vitality of other religions.”
With reference to the Eucharist, he said, the question also arises: how far can Catholics go? Do they invite people of other religions to Mass, and suppose they do come, how do we explain the Mass to them? The cardinal said there have been problems in some countries when people of other religions wanted to receive Holy Communion because they think it is just a gesture. “A Catholic has to have very clear ideas on that,” he stressed.
But that is only one aspect, he said. “There is also the Eucharistic dimension of mission. The Eucharistic celebration sends us home to share what we have received, to live it and to share it. That includes proclamation of the Gospel. It includes solidarity with the poor and with those who are oppressed and repressed - and they are not lacking in Asia!”
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