On Wednesday, October 17, 2007, the day the announcement was made that Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, was named to the College of Cardinals, DiNardo made a comment about his role as a cardinal in engaging the public square. A press conference was held at noon of that day. Speaking both in English and with a prepared statement in Spanish, he expressed his gratitude to the Holy Father for his being named, reflected on the meaning of this announcement for the Church in Texas, and thanked his predecessor, Archbishop emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, for the groundwork laid before him.
When asked if are there any issues he wanted to raise as a Cardinal, DiNardo responded:
Obviously the all issues we have dealt with here in the State of Texas on matters of faith and how faith intersects in the public square, I certainly will intend to do that. And I think, rightfully so, and because with the voice of a cardinal, people might stand up and take notice maybe a little more. … We’ll have to see how this plays out.
(cf. The official, edited, vetted article from the Houston Chronicle.)
After seeing Cardinal DiNardo at the TMO education session on the Church and the Public Square, I am extremely excited to see DiNardo’s interest in what he calls the “intersection” of faith and culture in the public square. Kudos to the TMO and their persistence. It is also obvious that DiNardo has taken time to internalize the necessity of the Church to speak in the public square, because his above comments were made spontaneously.
I believe that Cardinal DiNardo’s prominence in this part of the United States will definitely have a valuable impact on the discussions about the Church’s role in the public square. More and more pastors (curae animarum) should take his lead, doing what St. John Chrisostom and St. Leo the Great did in their day. These saints were great spiritual leaders, profound theologians, loving pastors, hard workers, liturgical priests, and advocates for the social needs of the most-vulnerable in their charge.
You don’t have to be pick just one of those characteristics, as many do today. You don’t have to pick just two. It is possible to be cura animarum and embrace both spiritual matters and social questions. It not only is possible, but it is, in fact, necessary in today’s world and in today’s church. By way of example, even the most-progressive of the periti of the Second Vatican Council were spiritually nourished by the older liturgical form. (Obviously, this is not a digression into matters liturgical, but it is meant to illuminate the issue.) A pastor who is spiritually grounded will have the ganas to face the social challenges that lie ahead for this generation.
With chief shepherds like DiNardo, the other shepherds of the diocese can see a model of leadership that is both theologically grounded as well as socially engaged.
