Cardinal Arrinze: We want a Pope full of fire by the kingdom of Christ

Cardinal Francis Arrinze has affirmed that the Church needs “a Pope full of fire by the kingdom of Christ.”

In an interview with Ewtn earlier this year, the 92 -year -old cardinal reflected on the necessary qualities in the next Pope, offered advice to the younger cardinals who will participate in his first conclave and spoke about the challenges facing the Church today.

“We want a Pope full of fire in the kingdom of Christ,” said Nigerian Cardinal. “A Pope who is there spreading the Gospel … a Pope through which people believe.”

For Cardinal Arinze, who has been a bishop for 60 years and Cardinal for 40, the next successor of St. Peter must, above all, be a witness of Christ, a Pope whose “life is powerful.”

“The biggest challenge for the Church is to convince people to accept Christ and live according to their teaching and example,” he said. “Easy to say, difficult to do. But that’s what the Church is for. The Church is to evangelize.”

Arinze attended the last session of the Second Vatican Council as the youngest bishop in the world at that time and then served more than two decades in the Roman curia. He participated in the conclave that chose Benedict XVI in 2005.

“The Church was founded by Christ for the salvation of humanity,” he said. “The work of the Church is to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ so that people know Jesus Christ as his Savior … and that he lives according to that path he showed us, which is the Gospel.”

Tips for cardinals in the conclave

As cardinals from all over the world meet in Rome, many for their first conclave, Cardinal Arinze offered them words of guidance.

“Recognize that we are in the hands of God,” he said. “And that the Church did not do it or the Pope, but Christ. If the Church had not been founded by Christ, it would have collapsed a long time ago. But because Christ founded the Church, it will remain.”

The Cardinal reflected on Jesus’ words: “I will always be with you until the end of the world,” and added: “Not even Judas Iscariot was able to tear down the Church.”

“Even if you have a Pope who is not a good Pope, or a bishop who is not a good bishop, or a priest who is not a good priest, cannot knock the church,” he said. “But they can harm. They can hurt. They can cause harm. So each of us must, with fear and tremble, ask: ‘What is God calling me to do in the Church, for the Church and with the Church?'”

At 92, Arinze will not be inside the Sistine Chapel when the conclave begins, but he, along with other cardinals over 80, participates in the general congregations prior to the conclave to dialogue on the Church and the world.

“No Pope is a photocopy of another Pope,” he said. “Pope John Paul II is not the same as Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict is not the same as Pope Francis. But each of them is Pope, just as Saint Peter was not the same as Saint Paul, and they were not the same as John in the Gospel; all were different, but all apostles of Christ.”

“Of Pope Francis, people will appreciate their love for the poor, for the forgotten, for the migrants, for which they are far, those in the peripheries, whether geographical peripheries, distant, or are peripheries of society,” he said. “It shows that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, privileges the weak, not so much to the strong or powerful. Each Pope has his style.”

92 -year -old wisdom

When asked about what advice he would give to young Catholics since his 92 -year -old experience, the Cardinal emphasized the importance of God’s providence for each of us.

“God is the general director of history,” he said. “He is also providence for each individual … God knows more. We think we direct everything, but God is there, look at the details.”

He also cited the words of Santa Teresa de Calcutta: “May God help us not spoil his work.”

“If we were faithful to God … God would do great things for us,” he said. “He did it for the Blessed Virgin Mary, who confessed: ‘The Almighty has done great things in me and Holy is his name.’ With many things that God does, we think that we are the intelligent we made. We only asked God to make that little part that expects us, so that his work is successful.”

“If each of us remains open to God’s action and knows that God takes the initiative, his grace leads us to begin, continue and bring the action in his kingdom.”

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.