From West Africa, A Cardinal for Islam
Oct 30, 2007
Continuing with our coverage of "Scarlet Fever '07," while the rapid elevation of newly-named Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi took the top line among Africa's new entries among the College of Cardinals, the Pope indeed named two electors -- his first two -- from the continent where global Catholicism's biggest boom is taking place.
Whispers in the Loggia, Friday, October 26, 2007
From West Africa, A Cardinal for Islam
Continuing with our coverage of "Scarlet Fever '07,"
while the rapid elevation of newly-named Archbishop
John Njue of Nairobi took the top line among Africa's
new entries among the College of Cardinals, the Pope
indeed named two electors -- his first two -- from the
continent where global Catholicism's biggest boom is
taking place.
The senior African prelate heading into the papal
senate next month is 70 year-old Archbishop
Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar in Senegal. Ordained a
bishop at 37 and named to the capital see of the West
African nation in 2000, the cardinal-designate follows
his princely predecessor Hyacinthe Thiandoum, who was
given his red hat in 1974 and died three years back.
What marks Sarr out, however, is his status as the top
hierarch of a nation whose population is 95 percent
Muslim. What's more, relations between Islam and the
church in Senegal are reported to be unusually strong,
cooperative and reciprocal.
As evidence of this, after his nomination was made
public the cardinal-designate noted that his elevation
had been sought in prayer... by one of the country's
senior imams:
The Senegalese prelate disclosed hours after his
nomination that Muslim cleric Habibou Tall had
predicted publicly he would be made a cardinal before
the end of the year.
"He said he was going to pray for that to happen,"
Sarr told reporters. "I know he has prayed for that to
happen and I thank him for that."...
Christians in Senegal's breezy coastal capital
expressed happiness at Sarr's appointment.
"There are countries where Christians 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 of Muslim faith.
Among his post-Consistory curial assignments, expect
Sarr to be named to the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue.
From West Africa, A Cardinal for Islam