I had dinner on July 1st with Joseph Cardinal Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan. The priests at St. Gregory the Great in Bluffton, SC invited me to join them at their rectory for the dinner. Pope Francis named him a Cardinal in 2017. He is currently 79 and can still participate in the next conclave to elect a new pope. Once he turns 80, though, he cannot.
5 comments:
Was the Cardinal golfing at Hilton Head?
He’s visiting one of the parochial vicars at St. Gregory’s who is from Karachi and was the cardinal’s vicar general before he became a cardinal. They will be at our Cathedral’s 12 noon Mass today, July 2.
I imagine your list of dinners with voting or non-voting Cardinals is a pretty short list. Sorry about him putting your great tan to shame.
Joseph Cardinal Coutts has, for 53-and-a-half years, served God, as well as His Church, as a holy priest.
Pope Saint John Paul II elevated Father Coutts to the rank of bishop. Pope Benedict elevated Bishop Coutts to the rank of Archbishop. Pope Francis elevated Archbishop Coutts to the rank of Cardinal.
Cardinal Coutts has served holy Popes Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI, as well as Francis, in loyal fashion. Cardinal Coutts, via word and action, has demonstrated the beautiful continuity that has existed in regard to the above-mentioned Pontificates.
=======
Here are excerpts from a wonderful article that I have just read:
-- 'Walk with Jesus, Take along Everyone': Cardinal Coutts
"There is a great parallel, a kind of symbiotic relationship, between the synod called by Pope Francis and the call of the prophets of the Old Testament, the cardinal said."
"The call is to listen to the voice of God, to walk in humility and to be open and sincere as the leaders of the church called to lead the people of God on this massive journey."
"Like the people of the Old Testament, it is possible for us too to go the wrong path, to lose our way. But when we go astray the Lord calls us back, beckoning us to accept his ways and follow his path."
"He called Pope Francis, who initiated the worldwide synod, a prophet of our times."
"The synodal path we are called to take is an invitation not to reject or exclude anybody, but to take everyone along. We also need the humility to know that Jesus himself is leading us, said the Cardinal."
=======
God has raised and blessed us with such holy men as Pope Francis, "a prophet of our times" (Cardinal Coutts' declaration), as well as Cardinal Coutts, to teach, govern, and sanctify us. In addition, everywhere we turn within the Church, we find such holy priests as Fathers McDonald, as well as Kavanaugh.
In light of the above, I am confident that Holy Mother Church's future will prove bright and uplifting. In that regard, I agree with holy and great Father Joseph Ratzinger.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
With such a holy man as Cardinal Coutts to serve as a role model, there are Catholics who, for example, have preferred to embrace Archbishop Viganò.
Archbishop Viganò has pronounced Pope Francis a schismatic, as well as heretic. Conversely, Cardinal Coutts has pronounced Pope Francis a "prophet" of our time.
I am thankful that Father McDonald has devoted a post in regard to Cardinal Coutts. That, in turn, inspired me to search the internet for stories that pertained to the Cardinal. I have been uplifted spiritually after my having read one Cardinal Coutts-related article after another.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Post a Comment