Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "Matteo Ricci. A legacy of friendship, dialogue and peace" is the title of the International Study Day that will be held on Friday 15 November at the Pontifical Gregorian University. The event will be attended among others by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Stephen Chow, Bishop of Hong Kong, and the Superior General of the Jesuits, Father Arturo Sosa.
The inaugural Session, moderated by Father Federico Lombardi, with key speeches of a general nature, will be followed throughout the day by contributions from various sinologists specializing in Ricci studies, offering a look at the person and work of the great Jesuit missionary from different perspectives. The academic sessions will end with a debate and the screening of the documentary film "Matteo Ricci 朋友 a friend" by Teresa Tseng.
The Italian missionary Matteo Ricci, born in Macerata in 1552 and died in Beijing in 1610, is one of the most important figures in the history of the missions of the Society of Jesus. The first Jesuit to enter China, thus realizing the dream of Saint Francis Xavier, he went as far as Beijing and laid the foundations for a new beginning of the stable presence of the Church in the "Middle Kingdom".
His thorough knowledge of the Chinese language and culture and his sincere friendship with the Confucian scholars of his time made him a permanent point of reference for the inculturation of the proclamation of the Gospel and also for building bridges between Chinese and European culture, between the West and the East.
The role of China in today's world, the vitality and problems of the Chinese Catholic Church, as well as the relations between the Holy See and the government of Beijing make the figure of Matteo Ricci and his fruitful encounter with Chinese reality extraordinarily topical.
Pope Francis' recent declaration on the 'heroicity' of his virtues, an important step on the path to his beatification, says the communiqué presenting the study day, "encourages us to rethink the figure of Matteo Ricci in its entirety, as an exemplary witness of the Christian approach to the diversity of cultures and the complexity of human realities, as an inspiration for the mission of the Church and the Society of Jesus and for the relationships of dialogue and peace between peoples". (Agenzia Fides, 12/11/2024)
