After 8 years as Vatican official, Japanese cardinal calls for changes
Apr 27, 2006
Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, who headed a Vatican office for eight years, is advocating a review of criteria for the appointment of bishops in Asia and Africa, as well as a change in church approaches to dialogue with other religions, and greater internationalization of the College of Cardinals.
ROME (UCAN, 4/7/2006) The Tokyo-born prelate spoke frankly with UCA News about several issues of interest to the whole church, particularly the church in Asia, on March 15, four days after the Vatican announced that the pope had accepted Cardinal Hamao's resignation as president of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.
"I feel free now," he remarked upon learning he no longer had to bear the heavy responsibility of the office he was assigned to head on June 15, 1998.
Even so, he admitted that he dearly loved the work that brought him "into daily touch with human suffering around the world," and he hopes somehow to continue working in this area in the future.
In February 2005, shortly before the cardinal turned 75 on March 9, 2005, he handed in his resignation to Pope John Paul II, since the official age for retirement in the Vatican is 75. But the ailing pontiff died less than a month later, and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, asked Cardinal Hamao and other Vatican officials to remain in their posts "until further notice."
Cardinal Hamao used to report on his work twice a year to Pope John Paul, so in September 2005 he requested and was given a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo, a small town about 30 kilometers (about 20 miles) southeast of Rome that has been used for centuries as the summer residence of the pope.
Though Cardinal Hamao "never imagined" last year's conclave would elect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he gained a "very good impression" of Benedict XVI when he went to congratulate him. The new pope told him, "Let us work together for the good of the migrants." The cardinal found this "very encouraging" "he knew me and knew my office; it was very good and very human."
Last September, during a half-hour private audience, he again found the new pope "very interested in our work, and very understanding," but "he gave no indication then about what would happen to our office no indication!"
Instead, Cardinal Hamao read in newspapers about the pontiff's intention to reform the Roman Curia and that his own council temporarily would be led by Italy's Cardinal Renato Martino, 73, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. However, the Japanese cardinal officially was told nothing.
Cardinal Hamao began to wonder if the press reports were true when his council started to lose staff. Last August, his council's under-secretary, Divine Word Father Michael Blume of the United States, 59, was named nuncio to Togo and Benin in Africa, and India's Father Anthony Chivatyath, 64, in charge of gypsies and aviation, was appointed this past February as bishop of the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Sagar in his native country. Neither was replaced.
In late February, therefore, he asked to meet Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, "sostituto" (substitute) in the Vatican's secretariat of state, to request new staff. But when they met, Archbishop Sandri informed the cardinal that the new pope had indeed accepted his resignation. The archbishop also suggested that he talk with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state. When Cardinal Hamao did so that same day, Cardinal Sodano confirmed what the archbishop had said.
The Vatican announced on March 11 that the pope accepted Cardinal Hamao's resignation and the presidency of his office would merge "for now" with that of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace under Cardinal Martino.
The Japanese cardinal is disappointed over how his exit took place. "Nobody consulted me," he said. "I felt a little bit how do you say it sad."
Thereafter, Cardinal Hamao learned much the same happened with Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, 68, former president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The British prelate, named nuncio to Egypt on Feb. 15, also was never consulted about curia reforms or the future of his council.
According to Cardinal Hamao, "it will take time" for the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants to be integrated fully with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, if indeed such is the plan. "It will not be easy," the cardinal predicted, because the focus of his former council is "more pastoral" while the other has hitherto been "more theoretical."
Even so, he said the final result "can be good," but first there is need "for much consultation" between the two councils, which remain separate even if temporarily led by the same president. The cardinal expects the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" to be merged eventually with these two, but not yet.
Like several other Vatican officials, Cardinal Hamao feels there is urgent need for better communication, coordination and cooperation between and among the Roman Curia's various offices. He said as much in a written statement submitted to the one-day meeting of the College of Cardinals on March 23.
From 2002 until he retired, Cardinal Hamao was the only Asian in charge of a Vatican office. The Synod of Bishops for Asia in 1998 asked Pope John Paul to bring more Asians to work in the curia. Before long, he not only assigned then-Bishop Hamao of Yokohama to the Vatican, but also named Vietnam's Archbishop Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, then in exile in Rome, as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The archbishop became a cardinal in February 2001, and Cardinal Hamao received his own red hat in October 2003.
Today, no one from Asia heads any curia office. "Cardinal Van Thuan has died (2002), and I am leaving," Cardinal Hamao stated. If, as he hopes, he soon gets an audience with Pope Benedict, he will ask the pontiff to "call an Asian bishop to head any Roman Curia office. I would suggest that he call someone from Korea, Indonesia, India, the Philippines or any other part of Asia."
When Cardinal Hamao, Japan's fifth cardinal in dhurch history, meets Pope Benedict, he said he also will suggest that the pope "listen to the voice of the Asian people not judge beforehand, but listen to them, listen to us."
In his view, Rome "has difficulty in understanding" Asia's reality and the church in Asia, particularly as regards dialogue with people of other faiths.
"They cannot understand because they say interreligious dialogue is very important, yet we must proclaim only one savior, Jesus Christ," he said. "Of course, we know and believe this, but if we live in the midst of different religions, we must have some dialogue with others, especially the dialogue of life. In this dialogue, we can cooperate with other religions, such as Buddhism or Shintoism, for the education of youth, the education of people for peace, social assistance for handicapped people, to help the poor and so on."
The cardinal elaborated by pointing out, "St. Peter said in his First Letter (3:15-16), if they ask us what is the reason for our hope, for our joy, then we can explain this kindly, honestly, clearly. So that is our attitude."
Cardinal Hamao spoke on this very subject during the 1998 Synod of Bishops for Asia. At that time, he recalled, "I said we must proclaim the gospel and Jesus Christ as savior, gradually, not from the beginning; because if we say that Jesus Christ is the one and only savior from the beginning, then we cannot have dialogue with them."
"European cardinals and bishops cannot understand this well," the outspoken cardinal said. "They are not so happy with this 'gradually.'" By contrast, he added, "many Asian bishops and cardinals do say 'gradually.' They say we must show the pastoral care of Jesus Christ; not catechesis but gospel. Asians accept easily the pastoral care of Jesus Christ more than the catechism."
"The catechism is theology European theology, not oriental theology," he asserted. "It is all too difficult, too intellectual, too logical. We Asians are not so intellectual, but we are intelligent. We are how can one say it more intuitive, more aesthetic. We need something to touch our heart. The catechism does not convert people."
As a cardinal, the Japanese prelate serves as a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, so he takes part in its monthly meeting where candidates are considered for appointment as bishops in Asia and Africa.
Around that table, he said, are "so many" cardinals and bishops from Europe, America and Latin America who are particularly concerned about whether or not the man to be appointed bishop in Asia or Africa has studied in Rome or elsewhere in Europe, and whether he has gained an academic degree there.
Cardinal Hamao believes this should not be a decisive criterion. In his view, a candidate could have studied in his home country, without gaining an academic degree, yet have such good pastoral experience he could be the right person to become bishop.
Based on his experience in that congregation, Cardinal Hamao advocates "a revision of the criteria for the appointment of bishops in Asia and Africa." This revision, he elaborated, should not only address the question of academic and theological preparation, but also face "the problem related to tribe or caste," a major issue in the appointment of bishops for countries such as Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, as well as in Africa.
Reflecting on his own Vatican experience, the courteous cardinal thinks the reason so few Asians are in the Roman curia, and the Asian perspective is lacking and the Asian voice not really listened to, is because "Asia is too far from here, it's very far. I don't mean geographically, but morally."
In Rome, he said, "they consider the church in Asia and Africa as a baby, immature in terms of Christianity. Perhaps they think the Asian and African Church is a baby or infant church. They only consider Europe as mature, and maybe Latin America is considered an adult church now. That is my impression."
He pointed out that European predominance also is evident in the College of Cardinals, where today 100 of the 193 cardinals are from Europe, and 60 of the 120 cardinal-electors are Europeans.
For Cardinal Hamao, this composition does not accurately reflect the current spread of Catholics, most of whom are no longer Europeans. Most Catholics now live in Latin America, and the flourishing Asian and African churches have more Catholics than their European counterparts. He would like the membership of the College of Cardinals to reflect this new reality.
He added that though he was "very happy" three Asians were to get red hats on March 24, he found it "strange" that not even one new African elector was among them, and fully half of the 12 new cardinal-electors are Europeans.
Cardinal Hamao, who knows Latin well and taught it to Japan's Emperor Akihito when he was crown prince, also fails to understand the current push to restore Latin in parts of the Roman liturgy, and the insistence that Catholics be able to recite the Gloria, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer in Latin.
He noted that many cardinals and bishops, mainly Europeans, have tried to push this, such as during the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist last October.
Cardinal Hamao knows Pope Benedict is pro-Latin, but he clearly stated his opposition to the drive for more Latin, and he did that in writing the only Vatican office head to do so. He explained that it is just "unreal" to expect Catholics in India, Indonesia, Japan or elsewhere in Asia to learn Latin.
After 8 years as Vatican official, Japanese cardinal calls for changes