Message #32257

[Boldhunter]

http://www.news.va/en/news/cardinal-napier-the-new-pope-will-have-to-be-a-pas



Cardinal Napier: the new Pope will have to be a pastor who can reach out and touch peoples' lives


2013-03-08 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, Archbishop of Durban in South Africa is in Rome to participate in the upcoming Conclave. Since arriving he has been part of the Cardinals’ General Congregations to prepare for the Conclave. Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni just before joining a prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday evening, Cardinal Napier spoke of his own feelings and emotions during this particular time in history, and of the feelings and hopes of the faithful in his own geographical area of concern… Listen to the interview… Cardinal Napier says that back home in South Africa the events taking place in the Vatican in these days are of great interest and concern. He himself is on twitter and says he continues to receive a lot of tweets about what is going on: “People all around sending their prayers, messages from bishops saying their people are praying for us, so I think there is a real sense –through the social networks – that there is the possibility of people being engaged in something that is taking place even at a remote distance”. Speaking of his own vision regarding the characteristics he would like to see in the new leader of the Catholic Church, Napier admits that he is “a bit biased because he picked up from Pope John Paul II so many of his characteristics, and how he translated them into a vision for the Church”. Napier mentions John Paul II’s theology of the body, which - he says - “at the time he was giving those talks they didn’t seem to making so much of an impact. But since then, that theology has really come out as how this is a wonderful way of reaffirming just how unique a creation a human person is, and because of that uniqueness humans need to be given that special reverence and respect”. So from John Paul II –Napier says – we have a lesson on the value of human life, the value of the human person. “But he also wanted that value to be heightened by the New Evangelization, and that was then picked up by Pope Benedict who gave it an even clearer definition. Napier says he remembers the day Benedict was elected and how he put on the table what was going to be his own vision for the church. Reconciliation - he points out - was one of the things and throughout his Pontificate he certainly went out of his way to bring reconciliation about in many sectors. And when he explained why he chose the name Benedict - says Cardinal Napier - he explained that St. Benedict was around at the time the Roman Empire had fallen apart and the Church was in disarray, and he too wanted to rebuild and renew the faith and the credibility of the Church. Looking back to both previous Pontiffs, Napier says the idea of the centrality of Christ was foremost. Benedict spoke of the encounter with Jesus. “That whole thing about prayer and the centrality of Christ – the new Pope will have to someone who is conscious of the foundation that are already there - and who is committed to building on those foundations – and building on existent foundations - Napier says - could be trickier than building new ones”. Therefore – says Cardinal Napier – “I think we will have to have a fairly lengthy Pontificate –so we will be looking at a younger person”. He says he believes the new Pope “will be from among us, so he will need to have heard from the different sectors of the Church - what the issues are, how the Church in those places is already trying to tackle those issues, and what role the Pope can play to influence them”. So far, Cardinal Napier says, in the General Congregations specific geographical issues have not been examined, but areas of concern have been raised. “We, the Africans, have met informally a couple of times and looked at the issues we would like to share with the Church in other parts of the world”. He says one of the concerns they have is that the Church has been very centered on Europe. Of course - he says - there is a close relationship with Europe which is normal, but “maybe now that Europe is in crisis and is concentrating on itself, it’s forgetting that there are answers to some of the issues and problems that can come from outside. And I think this is where our concern could be as Africans : what can we bring to the consciousness of the Church in Europe that maybe makes them more aware of what’s going on out there, but at the same time makes them look at alternative solutions to the issues”. As regards the widespread nihilism expressed by new generations in Europe, Napier says this is not at all the reality in Africa. He says in Africa “God has still got a very very important part in people’s lives”. In Africa, he says, you are reminded all the time of your own fallibility. So in a way our fallibility as human beings and our need for something that gives us stability is such that religion still has such a major part to play. Cardinal Napier is in Rome for his second Conclave. This time he says he knows what to expect along the way. So he feels more familiar with the proceedings. He notes that this time there is no mourning period to distract the Cardinals. This time he – says – "we were taken a little off guard. I didn’t expect Pope Benedict to resign just before Easter knowing how important Easter and especially Good Friday are for him. And also with the World Youth Day coming up". However he says, looking back he wasn’t so surprised at the resignation itself Right now – he says of the Cardinals – “we are here under a certain self-imposed pressure: we want to find out as much as we can, get as familiar with each other as we can, try to identify possible candidates, and at the same time we know the longer we spend doing that, the harder it will be to return home”. Cardinal Napier says the prayers of the faithful are so important at this moment. He says he is asking all to intensify those prayers. “One of the thoughts that came to me this morning was: every step that we are taking you can almost feel the prayers supporting us. I think that kind of spiritual union is very important also because in a way it is going to affect how we see thehttp://[b] new Pope – it has to be someone who is a pastor who is able to reach out and touch people’s lives”.[/b]