Cardinal Francis Arinze, often mentioned as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, will attend a Mass in Providence tomorrow.

01:30 AM EDT on Saturday, July 31, 2004

BY RICHARD C. DUJARDIN
Journal Religion Writer

SMITHFIELD -- Cardinal Francis Arinze, one of the Vatican's highest-ranking officials, was all smiles.

With Providence Bishop Robert E. Mulvee at a gallery on Douglas Pike to attend the opening of a show by a prominent Rhode Island artist, how could he not notice the works -- paintings and bronze sculptures -- portraying cardinals in a prominent role?

There were images of cardinals swirling about, seeming to whisper to each other, perhaps at some council or conclave. And there was a painting of the former primate of Hungary Cardinal Josef Mindzenty being placed under arrest, as if by a band of Roman soldiers.

As Cardinal Arinze moved on another work caught his eye: "That one there, isn't that Vatican II?" he inquired. "I was there!"

Cardinal Arinze, who heads the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacramental Discipline, is often mentioned as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II. He is in Rhode Island this weekend at the invitation of the state's fledgling African-Catholic community, which is celebrating its third anniversary with a reception and dinner at 6:30 tonight at the Sheraton Airport Hotel in Warwick and a Mass at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at Holy Name of Jesus Church, at 99 Camp St., Providence.

But last night, Cardinal Arinze's attention was on Angelo Rosati, a retired art history professor from Rhode Island College who, at age 84, may be more widely known in Europe than in the Ocean State.

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski Cardinal Francis Arinze attends the opening of an exhibit by Angelo Rosati, right, last night in Smithfield. Arinze is visiting Rhode Island at the invitation of the African Catholic community.

"In Europe, some of his works have sold for as much as $100,000," said Carlo Ruggeri, owner of Imagine Fine Arts Gallery. "Here the prices are not as high, because Angelo has not been one to push himself commercially."

Eight years ago, Rosati and the cardinal met for the first time in a village in Italy and have kept up a correspondence ever since.

A deeply religious man, Rosati decided that he could not allow Cardinal Arinze to return to Rome empty-handed, so last night he presented to him what many would consider one of his most controversial paintings -- City Refuse.

It depicts a dead baby, which has been tossed out, along with other trash, inside a cardboard box.

In the 1970s, Rosati included the painting as part of one of his shows at Rhode Island College.

"People were very angry with it because they saw it as a criticism of abortion," he observed yesterday.

Indeed it was, although Cardinal Arinze, on viewing the work yesterday, said that on one level the painting seemed to be more of a depiction of infanticide. "So the message coming out of this is that every human being is precious," the cardinal said. "I will present this to the dean of the Vatican Museum."

Cardinal Arinze has been in the United States for the last two weeks -- visiting South Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, where he delivered a lecture entitled "Confronting the Culture of Death: John Paul II's Prophetic Vision for the Renewal of Christian Culture." He is set to return to Rome on Monday.

Although the 71-year-old Cardinal Arinze made headlines three months ago when he told reporters at a news conference in Rome that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be denied Communion, he declined yesterday to answer any questions from reporters on that or any other subject. "Why should I answer your questions?" he said.

Bishop Mulvee said the matter of denying Communion to politicians did not come up at all from the time the cardinal arrived in Providence to their visit to the art gallery last night. Rather, he said, part of the conversation revolved around the cardinal's giving him a copy of his latest book, one titled Divine Providence.

In remarks at the gallery, Cardinal Arinze congratulated the artist and praised artists generally for helping to "bring us nearer to God" and to the transcendent. Not only do artists help people see what is invisible within the visible, he said, but "help us to fix our attention" on the things that we ordinarily may ignore.

"There is a story of two prisoners who were looking out the same window. One saw the mud, and the other saw the stars," he said. "Unfortunately there are those who see only the mud, but the artist helps us to see the stars."

Cardinal Arinze's visit to the opening of the permanent exhibit of Rosati's work at the art gallery drew scores of onlookers, including many priests and other admirers. Francesca Agwunobi, 36, was among them.

Now an x-ray technician at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, Agwunobi is also from Nigeria and speaks the same Ibo language that Cardinal Arinze spoke as a child and later as priest, bishop and archbishop in Nigeria. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for us," she said, noting that her 14-year-old son, Ikechi, will be among 12 young people due to be confirmed by Cardinal Arinze when he celebrates Mass with the African-Catholic community tomorrow.

The cardinal also exchanged pleasantries with three sisters from a religious order in Nigeria who live at St. Anthony parish in North Providence, where one of Rosati's paintings is on permanent display.

Sister Patricia Onyeje, who works in the diocese of Providence's Office of Community Service and Advocacy, Sister Raphaela Ikeazota, who works at the St. Vincent de Paul Day Care Center, and Mother Benigna Amadi, the order's former superior general, said they were all happy to see him.

"We're impressed," Mother Benigna said, "that he has taken the time to be here and share with us."