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| Matteo Ricci, SJ (October 6, 1552 – May 11, 1610) Painted in 1610 by the Chinese brother Emmanuel Pereira (born Yu Wen-hui). It hangs in the Jesuit House in Rome |
“Father Ricci went to China not to bring science and Western culture, but to bring the Gospel, to make God known. He writes: ‘For over twenty years every morning and every night I prayed in tears to Heaven. I know the Lord of Heaven has compassion for living creatures and forgives them... . The truth about the Lord of Heaven is already in the hearts of men. But humans do not understand it immediately, and, moreover, are not inclined to reflect on similar issues’ (Il vero significato del “Signore del Cielo”, [The true meaning of the “Lord of Heaven”], Rome 2006, pp. 69-70). And it was indeed while bringing the Gospel, that Father Ricci found in his interlocutors the demand for a wider confrontation, so that the meeting motivated by faith also became a dialogue between cultures; a disinterested dialogue, free from economic or political ambition for power, lived in friendship, which makes the work of Father Ricci and his disciples one of the highest and happiest points in the relationship between China and the West”. With these words, Benedict XVI recalled the figure of Father Matteo Ricci, on the fourth centenary of his death. He concluded: “Like Father Matteo Ricci, today I too express my profound esteem for the noble Chinese people and their ancient culture, convinced that their renewed encounter with Christianity will bring abundant fruits of good, as it then encouraged peaceful coexistence between peoples. Thank you”. The Pope’s speech was published in L’Osservatore Romano of May 30 with the title Prayers and esteem for the Church and for the noble Chinese people.
The cause of beatification of Father Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), originally begun in 1984, was reopened on January 24, 2010 at the cathedral of the east-central Italian Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia
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