New cardinals speak out on perils, potential of a globalized society
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New cardinals speak out on perils, potential of a globalized society
Pope Francis’ newly elevated cardinals reflected on their roles as shepherds within a vast, multicultural Church — and the many challenges and opportunities of service the modern world poses to their peripheral dioceses.
Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga said being named a cardinal is a āreally big thingā for the small Pacific island nation, which has never had a cardinal before. He told CNA Feb. 14 that Pope Francis’ choice reflected a vision of a Church that is āinclusive of the ‘little ones.’ā
Cardinal Mafi said the people of Tonga who traveled to Rome ācome with pride, with a sense of belonging to the Church.ā He said he hopes and prays that their faith āwill be deepened, deepened by this new call and responsibility to me.ā
Pope Francis created 20 new cardinals at the Feb. 14 consistory. Cardinal Mafi explained that Tongaās pastoral challenges include the response to a āglobalized world.ā
āWe are no longer isolated in a way, because communication now will bring us together closer,ā he said. āIt brings good things, and also challenging aspects, and there can be some challenge to the faith, like secularism, materialism, individualism.ā
āWe people are very much communal, we still live together as families, very much a big value for us. So I think there is a big challenge for us, for the faith, (in) that the people have more opportunities now economically and so forth.ā
Other new cardinals also reflected on the consistory and the state of their home countries.
Cardinal John Atcherley Dew of Wellington, New Zealand said he received an āincredible welcomeā from the cardinals that has reinforced for him āthat we belong to the universal Church, and that weāre not just a little place isolated on our own.ā
Cardinal Dew said among the pastoral challenges in New Zealand is the āmulticultural nature of the Church.ā
āWeāve always had people from other countries, like a lot of European people after the war, in the 1950s and 1960s,ā he said. There have also been major waves of migration from Polynesian people.
Lately there have been many migrants from various Asian countries.
āInvolving them, and including them in the life of the Church, is a very big challenge,ā he said.
He noted the āwonderful workā of refugee support and family reunification going on in New Zealand, though this work is not necessarily being done by the Church. Some Pacific Islanders are being forced to leave home because of global warming and rising sea levels, he said.
Another of the new cardinals hails from Thailand.
Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanit of Bangkok reflected on Pope Francisā statement that becoming a cardinal āis not something that is given for your honorā but rather for āservice and love.ā
The cardinal said his Buddhist friend who came for the ceremony repeated these words to him. The cardinal added: āthis is the way of a Christian, is a way of a priest or bishop, and also a cardinal.ā
Cardinal Kovithavanij said that secularism is a āreally strongā challenge not only in Thailand, but āeverywhere in the world.ā
āNot only for the Christian Catholics, (but) also for all men and women of religion. They need to collaborate together,ā he said.
He said he wants to bring back to Thailand his experience as a Christian who āwants to live the gospel, and also give this good news to everyone.ā