Why Church celebrates Cardinal Arinze at 90 — Onaiyekan

The Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has described the former Prefect of Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, Vatican City, Rome, Francis Cardinal Arinze as an outstanding legend and an icon of the universal church.

Speaking at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Onitsha, recently, where dignitaries from all walks of life had gathered to mark the 90th birthday of Cardinal Arinze, the guest speaker noted that Arinze’s contributions to the church made it necessary to celebrate him.

He disclosed that as the Archbishop Emeritus of Onitsha, Cardinal Arinze stirred the church and its people out of the turbulence and ravages of the Nigerian Civil War that took place from 1967 to 1970.

Onaiyekan said that the cleric has distinguished himself in the service to God and humanity, especially during his tenure in Rome, adding that Arinze was destined by God for a great mission on earth.

According to Onaiyekan, Arinze is one of the living ancestors of the Catholic Church, whose intellectual prowess started during his seminary days. He explained that Nigerians cannot forget the prominent role the Cardinal played in the Beatification of Blessed Iwene Tansi in Nigeria in 1998, when Pope John Paul II visited Nigeria, even as he expressed hope that he will remain alive to witness the final canonisation of Tansi.

On his part, the Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi described Arinze as a man who devoted his life to humanity.

He urged Nigerians to learn from the celebrant who is a shepherd in God’s vineyard. The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo also felicitated with Cardinal Arinze and described him as one of the finest, which Anambra has given to the world.

Soludo said: “You have been such a great influence and inspiration to the world, Anambra State, Nigeria and to me personally. I recount, you had a special mass for me and my predecessor, giving me a message, which I will never forget. You told me that while I am in a haste to change the world, I should always remember that the people I deal with are children of Adam and Eve.”