By Gagani Weerakoon

The sudden announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI earlier last week took millions of Christians, and others, around the world quite by surprise, as it was the first time a resignation of a Pope was announced in 600 years.

The responsibility of appointing the next Pope lies with the College of Cardinals. Deliberations would take place within the four walls of the Papal Conclave. However, the fact that, Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has been named by the Forbes Magazine as one of the favourites to be elected to Papacy, was indeed a joyful news, not only for the Catholic fraternity of the country, but the entire Sri Lankan populace.

In the midst of mounting international pressure against Sri Lanka over alleged war crimes, and human rights violations, with the United States planning on bringing a procedural resolution against the island nation at the March sessions of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the mere consideration of a Sri Lankan for the post of the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, has given much hope for the citizenry.

Possibilities

Although the country came out of a three-decade-long war almost four years ago, the mistrust between the communities are still quite apparent. However, the fact that Cardinal Ranjith is among 18 favourites to head the Catholic Church attests that the people of this country have still not lost their compassion, love and caring for one another.

Even though, the chance of a Cardinal from outside Europe being appointed as the Pope is cited as unlikely, speculation is rife that this time the chance may go to either Latin America, Africa or Asia. Therefore, it is important to note that, according to Forbes Magazine, Cardinal Ranjith is the only Asian in the list of favourites.

He is only the second Sri Lankan to be ordained a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. Rev. Fr. Benedict Joseph, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo, speaking to Ceylon Today on the possibility of His Eminence being named a candidate to become the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, said Cardinal Ranjith stands a chance and has all the qualifications to be appointed to the post.

“However, selecting candidates to be the Pope is done in a special spiritual manner. Individuals, institutions or organizations cannot and do not carry out any lobbying or propaganda in this regard,” Rev. Joseph said.

He insisted the election of Pope is always the responsibility of the College of Cardinals only and it takes place within the four walls of the Conclave. “There is no possibility of prior nomination of candidates.”

Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith was born on 15 November 1947 in Polgahawela as the only son of Patabendige Don William and Hettiarachchige Mary Winifreeda Perera.

He was educated at the Roman Catholic Boys’ School, Lunupokuna and De la Salle College, Mutwal, both, in Colombo 15, prior to entering St. Aloysius Seminary in Borella in 1965.

Theology studies

Cardinal Ranjith followed studies in theology and philosophy at the National Seminary in Kandy from 1966 to 1970. He was thereafter, sent by the then Archbishop Thomas Cooray (Sri Lanka’s first Cardinal) to further his priestly studies in Rome, where he graduated from the Pontifical Urban University (Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide and Collegio San Paolo Apostolo) with a Baccalaureate in Theology (B.TH). Malcolm Ranjith was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter’s Basilica on 29 June 1975. He then pursued postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. It was from there that he obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture in 1978 and his thesis centred on the Epistle to the Hebrews. During his time at the Biblical Institute, he studied under Carlo Martini and Albert Vanhoye and also attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he undertook scriptural research as a postgraduate student. Upon his return to Sri Lanka, Malcolm Ranjith became an assistant parish priest in Pamunugama in October 1978, and later served as a parish priest in Payagala (3 August 1981) and Kalutara (29 April 1983).

His pastoral work in the midst of the poor, but devout people in the fishing villages led him to be involved in fighting for social justice. This encouraged him to establish ‘Seth Sarana,’ a centre that provides relief to the poor, which comes under the purview of the Archdiocese of Colombo.

Cardinal Ranjith once said, “Love for the liturgy and love for the poor… have been the compass of my life as a priest.”

Many accomplishments

In December 1983, Father Malcolm Ranjith was appointed as the National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies. He revived the Society of the Holy Childhood, introduced self-employment projects in housing and fisheries sectors as Diocesan Co-ordinator for Human Development.

On 17 June 1991, Rev. Ranjith was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo and Titular Bishop of Cabarsussi. He received his episcopal consecration on 31 August 1991 from the then Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando, with Bishops Thomas Savundaranayagam and Oswald Gomis serving as co-consecrators.

He served as the Vicar General in charge of Parochial Apostolate and Lay Apostolate from 1991 to 1995. His peers elected him the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka as well.

The role he played as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Beatification of Ven. Joseph Vaz and the visit of Pope John Paul II to Sri Lanka in January 1995 was remarkable.

Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith was also the first shepherd to be appointed by the Holy See to the newly carved Diocese of Ratnapura. He took office as Bishop of Ratnapura on 2 November 1995. His appointment was reportedly hailed as a welcome spark for the diocese and this was quite evident from the unprecedented numbers of well-wishers of all religions that thronged to welcome him.

The unflagging zeal and leadership displayed by him in guiding the flock of Ratnapura perhaps paved the way for him to be considered a Papal prospective. He is often regarded as a person who always promoted inter-faith dialogue in Sri Lanka as he believes it can eliminate potential causes of tensions and disagreements between the religious and ethnic groups.

Word of God

“Dialogue is vital and fundamental and as Catholics, we must celebrate the richness of the Word of God incarnate in our life, families and communities,” he once remarked.

Cardinal Ranjith was also the first Sri Lankan Bishop to be appointed to the Holy See’s civil service. On 1 October 2001, he was named Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and simultaneously appointed President of the Pontifical Mission Societies by Pope John Paul II. It is the Pope’s ministry for the coordination of the missionary efforts of the Church and involves overview and growth of the local Churches in mission countries.

This ministry coordinates over 1,100 Archdioceses, Dioceses, Apostolic Vicarates and Apostolic Prefectures, as well as Sui Juris Missions. The Adjunct Secretary is the President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, which are the instruments of the Pope for enhancing support through prayer and contributions for the mission of the Church.His Eminence Ranjith also proudly holds the record of being the first Sri Lankan Bishop to be appointed a Papal Nuncio. He served in Jakarta as the Holy Father’s Apostolic Ambassador to Indonesia and East Timor from 29 April 2004, until his return to Rome in December 2005. The Catholic Church in Indonesia, which consists of 17,000 islands spreads to 37 Dioceses and has one of the biggest Catholic populations amongst the countries in Asia next to the Philippines dominated by almost 88 million Catholics.

Office of Papal Nuncio

Upon his appointment as Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and East Timor, then Bishop Ranjith was raised to the rank of Archbishop. He held the title of Titular Archbishop of Umbriatico from his promotion to the office of Papal Nuncio until his appointment as Archbishop of Colombo on 16 June 2009. During his tenure as Papal Nuncio, he was instrumental in enhancing mutual relations between the Holy See and Indonesia. He won the admiration of the Church hierarchy for the pivotal role he played in assisting the establishment of cordial relations between the local Churches and their governments whilst ensuring that the rights of the local Churches are respected by these governments.

Archbishop Ranjith was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 10 December 2005. He has described the liturgical reforms inspired by the Second Vatican Council as ‘a mixed bag of results.’ While praising the use of vernacular languages, he also criticized the ‘quasi total abandonment’ of Latin and the “acceptance of all kinds of ‘novelties’ resulting from a secularizing and humanistic theological and liturgical mind-set overtaking the West.” He has also lamented the “banalization and obscuring of the mystical and sacred aspects of the liturgy in many areas of the Church in the name of a so-called Konzilsgeist (spirit of the Council).”

Cardinal Ranjith, who opposes the reception of Communion in the hand and standing, once said, “I think it is high time to… abandon the current practice that was not called for by Sacrosanctum Concilium, nor by Fathers, but was only accepted after its illegitimate introduction in some countries.”

Cardinalate

Being a loyal supporter of the Tridentine Mass, Cardinal Ranjith once reportedly said that bishops who opposed Summorum Pontificum were allowing themselves to be “used as instruments of the devil,” accusing them of “disobedience… and even rebellion against the Pope.”He was also reported as saying “I’m not a fan of the Lefebvrians… but what they sometimes say about the liturgy they say for good reason.” On 20 October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI announced a Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals to be held on 20 November 2010, and made public the names of 24 prelates he intended to raise to the Cardinalate on that occasion, Archbishop Ranjith being among those chosen for promotion to the Sacred College. Accordingly, he was created a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church on the Consistory of 20 November 2010, and was assigned the title of Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Luciana. On 13 February 2011 His Eminence took possession of his titular church in Rome.

In addition to serving as Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Ranjith serves as a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People.These memberships will be renewed every five years until his 80th birthday, when he loses them on the same day he loses the right to vote in a Conclave.

Cardinal Ranjith is fluent in 10 languages, including Italian, German, French, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, English, Sinhala and Tamil. His ability to converse and understand the problems of the Catholic Church spread throughout the world and his commitment and dedication in the execution of the enormous responsibilities of the Universal Church on his shoulders has made him one of the most influential voices in Vatican.
COURTESY:CEYLON TODAY