God’s Invisible Hand

GOD’S INVISIBLE HAND: Cardinal Francis Arinze interviewed by Gerard O’Connell. Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi, 2003. 398 pp, with photos.

Reviewed by Paddy Kearney

These days publishers aren’t keen on books of interviews, because they don’t sell well. Perhaps the Paulines made a special exception for God’s Invisible Hand as Cardinal Francis Arinze is currently the highest-ranking African member of the Roman curia and has frequently been described as papabile.

After 18 years of leading the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and since just a year ago becoming its liturgy czar, Arinze is now, on the retirement of Cardinal Gantin, the only African cardinal in the Vatican.

Take a close look at the photos published in this book. They indicate a very warm relationship with Pope John Paul II: clearly a man the pope trusts implicitly and frequently delegates to play important roles on his behalf.

The title God’s Invisible Hand is a reference to the Cardinal’s strong belief that God’s providential care and guidance have been a powerful factor in his life. Nothing happens by chance or luck for Francis Arinze, starting with his baptism as a nine-year old by Fr Cyprian Tansi who was beatified in 1998, the first from Nigeria and the 14 countries of West Africa to be so honoured. Any assignment given Arinze by the Church, especially the pope, he accepts without question as a clear indication of God’s will.

Francis Arinze is a first-generation Christian, his whole family having practised African Traditional Religion. He had an early rise to high office, being ordained auxiliary bishop at the age of 32, and making it to the last session of Vatican II, the youngest Council Father.

Perhaps another reason why the Paulines chose to buck the trend and publish this book of interviews, is that the author is one of the most experienced Vaticanologists in the English-speaking world, second only to the National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen Jr. Gerard O’Connell, whose pieces have appeared in The Southern Cross, also reports for Asian, British and US publications, and has had easy access to the cardinal in the production of this book.

O’Connell is a skilled interviewer and Arinze a polished respondent who doesn’t dodge the issues. The result, a wide-ranging discussion covering many of the most significant issues facing the Church today. There is however much repetition which could have been avoided by more rigorous editing. Perhaps the book would make a greater impact if 50 pages shorter.

The issue most extensively handled is that of interreligious discussions, not surprising given the Cardinal’s own family background and his extensive experience particularly of Muslim-Christian dialogue.

Arinze describes in detail some of the more dramatic steps taken by Pope John Paul to promote dialogue: his 1985 visit to Morocco where the pope addressed a rally of 80000 enthusiastic Muslim youth; the famous 1986 Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, a daring multi-faith gathering for which even the pope got into hot water with some of the more conservative members of his curia; and the meeting in Egypt in 2000 with the moral leader of the world’s Sunni Muslims, Sheikh Al Azher. On each occasion, the pope was in the limelight, but at his side Cardinal Arinze, key to the planning that ensured the success of these ground-breaking events.

Read this book in case some day soon the Cardinal moves on to centre stage himself. You will feel that you know him well.