| The Urgency of Proclamation in a World of Cultural
& Religious Plurality Barbara Mason, a member of the English NSC, reports on a talk given by Cardinal Francis Arinze (tipped by some to be a future possible Pope) last November. This was part of a series of talks on evangelisation, all given by Cardinals at St Marys College in Twickenham, London at the end of last year. Cardinal Arinze, who is from Nigeria, has been president of the Pontifical Council for Inter Religious Dialogue for several years
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It has long been my opinion that the Third World will evangelise the West. Having lived in Latin America and the West Indies for seventeen years, it has been difficult to return to a post-Christian Europe where I find the over-emphasis on "tolerance" ("there is no such thing as sin"), and the insistence on open-ended dialogue ("never come to a conclusion") often prevents a clear proclamation of the Gospel. This Cardinal from the Third World appeared to have no such cultural qualms. At the end of his proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ he stated: "This event is the greatest story ever told. It is the central event of history. It is the most important happening since God created the first manand woman. As the Second Vatican Council says, the Church 'holds that in her benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point, and the goal of all human history' (Gaudium et Spes.10). Without Christ, one cannot really and fully understand the human being, together with all his desires, questionings, anguish and hopes." "Proclamation is the announcing of this Good News of Jesus Christ, of these mysteries of God made man, so that people may have a chance to hear his Gospel, to accept it, to believe it, to be renewed and elevated by it, and to reach unattainable levels of communication with God. Thus is made available to them the means of salvation in their fullness and abundance." "... Proclamation, consequently, should not, as it were, succumb to market forces by trying to do a discount when the going gets hard" To whom is this proclamation directed, and what is its purpose? The Cardinal continued: "The mission of the Incarnate Word is continued by the Church in proclamation both to those already converted, that they may be inserted deeper in their communication with the mysteries ofChrist, and to those who have not yet received the Good News, that they may also share the unsearchable riches of Christy. Eph 3:1-13)." "Fidelity to the mission of proclamation demands that those who preach the Gospel should be faithful to the whole Gospel. They should not select some elements and reject or ignore others." The Cardinal departed from his text to explain he was referring to "A la carte Catholics". "... Proclamation, consequently, should not, as it were, succumb to market forces by trying to do a discount when the going gets hard. For example, religious relativism is not acceptable because it is not right to regard one religion as equal to every other religion. It is one thing to defend the personal dignity of believers in the various religions as equal. This is acceptable. It is quite another to presume that the doctrinal content of all religions is equal, or to ignore the fact that Jesus Christ, the founder of the Church, is God and man, which cannot be said of any other founder of a religion. That would be totally unacceptable (cf. Dominus Jesus.12)." "Proclamation therefore confesses the faith that Jesus Christ is the one and only Saviour of all humanity. The herald of the Gospel wants to share this Good News with everyone." The Cardinal then went on to examine the religious and cultural plurality which we find in the world today. He gave reasons why proclamation is urgent. He looked at some modern developments as well as ways in which the Church has striven to proclaim Christ in our multicultural and multireligious world, stressing the essential role of the laity. Someone wondered what kind of dialogue with other religions there could be if the Christian is so convinced of the Gospel. The Cardinal shared his own experience visiting a Buddhist monastery: "When I realised that these Buddhist monks ate only once a day, I had to examine my own ascetical practices. I eat three times a day, and I am a Cardinal!" On another occasion he attended a party with Muslims present. "During this party the Muslims went to a corner at a designated time to pray. Would I do that in the middle of a social event?" One person asked why most Catholics do not proclaim the Gospel. The Cardinal said he thought that most Catholics think they are spectators. "For example," he said, "If Leeds United is playing Sheffield Wednesday, there are 22 people on the team and 22 million spectators. But a Christian is made a member of the team when he or she is baptised. We are not spectators!" Then, thrusting one arm high above his head, and smiling broadly, he exclaimed, "We are meant to be firebrands! We should be on fire, so that the person next to us catches fire!" Send SAE for photo copy of full text to Goodnews,
Allen Hall, 28 Beaufort St. London, SW3 5AA
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Now,
what would you expect to be the opening remarks of a Cardinal of the
Roman Catholic Church when approaching such a controversial subject
in a 'politically correct' culture? Would you expect the following?
"The Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ needs to be announced
to every human being in every place and time. Jesus Christ, the Son
of God made man, is the Saviour, the one and only Saviour of all humanity."
I thought I would leap from my seat with delight! The Cardinal then
went on to proclaim the full Gospel, or the Essence of Proclamation
as he called it, with obvious joy and conviction. "He knows that
even in this lecture hall there could be people who do not know the
Gospel," I thought. "God bless him!" 
