Former Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Francis Cardinal Arinze, has come hard on Nigerian politicians, labelling them sad group of people.
He expressed displeasure about hardship faced by most Nigerians.
Arinze spoke in his residence in the Vatican City when he received some Nigerians including priests.
He charged priests to contribute to the reduction of pain in the country by giving hope to the masses.
He said: “The pain in our country is too much. Priests can contribute a little, at least, to reduce the pain and give the people some minimum hope.
“The politicians are a sad group, but we keep on praying. We have only one Nigeria. We don’t have another one.”
He lamented a situation where people are struggling to handle their daily economic needs. The cleric said all hands must be on deck to address the problem.
On the late Fr. Cyprian Tansi, The Cardinal told the priests that a “Nigerian is on the path to sainthood, Blessed.” He diclosed that Fr. Tansi, needed one more miracle to be canonised as a saint.
One of the priests in a video said: “Yesterday evening, we had the pleasure of visiting Cardinal Arinze at his Vatican residence. Although he is not going to the conclave, everyone will admit that this is, indeed, a busy time for all the Cardinals. All the more reason we are grateful that he spared some of his precious time to receive us.
“Father Ken Amadi, a priest of Abuja archdiocese and doctoral student at Notre Dame University, is working on his dissertation research focusing on the history and development of thanksgiving rituals in the post-Vatican II Catholic liturgy.
“Given Cardinal Arinze’s pedigree as a pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II ecclesiastic, as well as his former role as Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (2002-2008), he seemed the go-to person for Father Ken’s research exploration.
“The Cardinal started by confessing that he has limited knowledge on the subject matter, but ended up bringing deep historical, theological and cultural perspectives to bear on Father Ken’s inquiries, leading Ken to conclude that the wisdom shared by the Cardinal is such that one cannot find in any book.
“When we commented about the impeccable Latin diction with which he led the second part of Eucharistic Prayer III at Pope Francis’ funeral Mass last Saturday, he smiled and said: “There’s no mystery about it; I simply read what the text says.”
He explained that he had that role at the Pope’s funeral Mass by virtue of his rank as a Cardinal Bishop and by virtue of seniority – 3rd most senior after the Dean and Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals. As some people who watched the funeral Mass might have noticed, the presider was the Dean of the College, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, while the other two concelebrants were the Vice Dean, Cardinal Leonardi Sandri and Cardinal Arinze, who is the Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni. When Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as Pope in April 2005, he personally relinquished his titular see as Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni to Cardinal Arinze who until that time had been a Cardinal Deacon.
“Father Kris asked the Cardinal why our elder brother, Blessed Tansi, has not yet been canonised. Contrary to popular perceptions among some Catholics and non-Catholics in Nigeria that Tansi’s canonisation is being delayed for racial reasons (“Because he is a black man”), Cardinal Arinze explained that Tansi needs one more miracle to be canonized. “We almost got one, but when the scientific experts analyzed it, it didn’t meet the criteria. We have to pray for one miracle. The British waited so long for Cardinal Newman before the miracles came. John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta had so many miracles,” Ojeifo wrote.
Ojeifo disclosed that Cardinal Arinze gave them gifts of some of his published pastoral writings, a Rosary each and a sticker of Blessed Tansi.