Muslim Cleric Predicted Naming of New Cardinal
Oct 20, 2007
A Muslim cleric in the mainly Muslim West African country predicted that the Catholic archbishop of Dakar, Theodore-Adrien Sarr, would be named cardinal.
Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi, 19 October 2007) - Sarr was among 23 cardinals appointed from around the world by Pope Benedict on Wednesday.
Archbishop Sarr disclosed hours after his nomination that Muslim Habibou Tall had predicted publicly he would be made a cardinal before the end of the year, Reuters reported.
"He said he was going to pray for that to happen," the archbishop told reporters. "I know he has prayed for that to happen and I thank him for that".
Although it has a 95-percent Muslim population, Senegal - a nation of 12 million people - is renowned for its tolerance among Muslims and Christians. A Christian president, Leopold Senghor, ruled the former French colony for more than 20 years.
Many Christians in Senegal's breezy coastal capital Dakar expressed happiness at Sarr's appointment. "There are countries where Christian are the biggest majority, but a cardinal was not named there, and we in small Senegal with a tiny population of Christians, we got one! We are simply blessed," said Alioune Ndiaye, 35, a brick maker.
Many Muslims expressed satisfaction at the appointment of the respected prelate. "The new cardinal, Theodore Sarr, will work hard to strengthen the already good relations between Muslim and Christians," said Abdoulaye Diop, 45, a book-keeper, a Muslim.
Muslim Cleric Predicted Naming of New Cardinal