Matteo Ricci. A legacy of friendship, dialogue and peace

Matteo Ricci

Rome/Vatican [ENA] Matteo Ricci. A legacy of friendship, dialogue and peace is the title of the International Study Day, to be held at the Pontifical Gregorian University this coming 15 November, with the participation of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Stephen Chow, bishop of Hong Kong, and the General of the Jesuits, Fr. Arturo Sosa, as well as numerous scholars.

Ricci arrived at the Portuguese settlement of Macau in 1582 where he began his missionary work in China. He mastered the Chinese language and writing system. He became the first European to enter the Forbidden City of Beijing in 1601 when invited by the Wanli Emperor, who sought his services in matters such as court astronomy and calendrical science. He emphasized parallels between Catholicism and Confucianism but opposed Buddhism. His deep knowledge of Chinese language and culture, and his sincere friendship with the Confucian scholars of the time, make him a lasting point of reference for the inculturation of the proclamation of the Gospel and the building of bridges between Chinese and European culture,

the West and the East. The role of China in today’s world, the vitality and problems of the Chinese Catholic Church and the relations between the Holy See and the government in Beijing give extraordinary relevance to the figure of Father Matteo Ricci and his fruitful encounter with the Chinese reality. The recent declaration by Pope Francis of his heroic virtues, an important step in the cause for his beatification, encourage renewed study of the figure of Matteo Ricci in his entirety, as an exemplary witness of the Christian approach to the variety of cultures and the complexity of human realities, as an inspiration for the mission of the Church and of the Society of Jesus, and for relations of

of dialogue and peace between peoples. The inaugural session, with authoritative interventions of a more general nature, will be followed throughout the rest of the day by interventions from various sinologists, specialists in the study of Matteo Ricci, thus offering a view from multiple perspectives on the person and the work of this great missionary.