John Cavadini, left, Lawrence Cunningham and Timothy Matovina
On Sunday (Jan. 12), when Pope Francis announced the names of the 19 men he will soon make cardinals, he also gave some University of 91³Ō¹Ļ theologians an inkling of his vision of the Catholic Church.
āPope Benedict represented a āback to basicsā move theologically, and Francis interprets and represents the same move pastorally,ā according to , professor of theology and McGrath-Cavadini Director of 91³Ō¹Ļās . āIf we believe that āGod is love,ā then we should make our pastoral strategy one that translates that basic truth into a readily accessible and visible pastoral strategy of proclamation and action to those most needing to hear it. These appointments seem to conform to such a vision of the new evangelization.ā
A member of 91³Ō¹Ļās faculty since 1990, Cavadini was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the International Theological Commission, an advising body to the Vaticanās Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
āThe list of new cardinals was, by and large, predictable,ā said church historian , emeritus John A. OāBrien Professor of , ābut creating a cardinal from Haiti and another from Burkina Faso in Africa indicates two things: The papal preference for the forgotten world of the poor, and a voice within the College that can speak to the cardinals, both residential in the Vatican and those in the Catholic world, that the poorest of the earth have representation in the Catholic Church at the highest level.ā
According to , professor of theology and executive director of 91³Ō¹Ļās , āPope Francisā choices for new cardinals show his concern for the whole Church, with his usual strong emphasis on accompanying the poor in the Churchās life and mission.ā Matovina, who specializes in Latino theology and religion, is the author of the recent book āLatino Catholicism: Transformation in Americaās Largest Church.ā
Contact: John Cavadini, 574-631-5510, Cavadini.1@nd.edu; Lawrence Cunningham, 574-233-5492, Cunningham.1@nd.edu; Timothy Matovina, 574-631-3841, Matovina.1@nd.edu