Remembering Cardinal Avery Dulles

The rarefied world of Catholic theology is reminiscing about Cardinal Avery Dulles, who died yesterday at the age of 90. Here are some of the tributes and commentary:

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, commented in his blog, calling Cardinal Dulles "my good friend." An excerpt:

"My friendship with Cardinal Dulles goes back to the early 1970s, when he was teaching at Woodstock College, a Jesuit seminary. Later, we taught together at Catholic University. Cardinal Dulles was one of the most brilliant and intelligent theologians in the history of the Church in the United States. We were privileged to have him visit us last year when he gave a talk at St. John’s Seminary, which was one of his last public appearances. He suffered for many years from the aftermath of his battle with polio when he was a young adult. For the rest of life he walked with a cane. In his final lecture at Fordham titled: 'A Life in Theology,' which was read for him, he said: 'Suffering and diminishment are not the greatest of evils, but are normal ingredients in life, especially in old age. They are to be accepted as elements of a full human existence. As I become increasingly paralyzed and unable to speak, I can identify with the many paralytics and mute persons in the Gospels, grateful for the loving and skillful care I receive and for the hope of everlasting life in Christ. If the Lord now calls me to a period of weakness, I know well that his power can be made perfect in infirmity. Blessed be the name of the Lord!' He will be greatly missed."

America magazine, the Jesuit weekly, has posted some of Cardinal Dulles's essays here, and on its blog, the Rev. James Martin has some warm and funny anecdotes about travelling to Boston with the cardinal in 2001. An excerpt:

"Back in the Jesuit dining room at Fordham, over lunch, a few Jesuits asked how things were in Boston; the country was still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks. 'People in Boston were very upset that two of the planes that hit the World Trade Center came from Logan airport,' I explained, relating what I heard the night before. Avery said, 'Well, gee, how do you think I feel? One of them came from Dulles!' That was one of the rare times he referred to that place, out of humility. Once, during his time in Washington, D.C., when Avery was being driven to the airport by a young Jesuit, he asked him, 'Father, which airport are we going to? National or…?' Avery said, 'The other one!'"

Over at Commonweal magazine's blog, the Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a BC professor, also has some reflections on Cardinal Dulles, writing that, "I had the privilege and grace of being able to visit with him several times during his stay at the Jesuit infirmary near Fordham. I always came away with a sense of being blessed by his presence and witness." In June, Imbelli wrote of a visit with Cardinal Dulles:

"He can no longer speak, and the muscles of his arms are also impaired. Yet his mind is lucid, he continues to read and work, and communicates slowly by touching the letters of his computer keyboard. In our 'conversation' he was always one step ahead of me. He typed 'DH,' and it took a little time before it dawned on me that he was referring to Vatican II’s document 'Dignitatis humanae.'"

Dulles had taught at Fordham since 1988, but had been associated with the university for more than half a century; the university's president, the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, issued a statement:

"A man of prodigious intellect and great holiness, Cardinal Dulles devoted his entire life to the task of advancing the dialogue between faith and reason. In the process, he enriched both the Church and the Academy with his wisdom and his warmth. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that he was the first American theologian to be named to the College of Cardinals.”

Cardinal Dulles was the first American Jesuit named a cardinal; the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) of the United States issued a statement on the cardinal's passing. The comment from the president of the Jesuit Conference, the Rev. Thomas H. Smolich:

“Cardinal Dulles was man of tremendous intellectual rigor whose teaching and writing contributed greatly to the vibrancy of Catholic intellectual life. Yet for a man with so many gifts, he never viewed himself as anything more than a poor servant of Christ. In this way, he called all of us into a more intimate relationship with the Lord he so dearly loved.”

Cardinal Dulles, who spent his career as a professor, was the only American cardinal ever who was not a bishop -- he chose to remain a cardinal-priest. The president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis E. George, issued a statement calling Cardinal Dulles "a great theologian and a totally dedicated servant of the Church:"

"His wise counsel will be missed; his personal witness to the pursuit of holiness of life as a priest, a Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Church will be remembered and will encourage the Church to remain ever faithful to her Lord and his mission. I am deeply saddened at the loss of a personal friend; but I rejoice in the hope that now he sees clearly what he explored so well in his studies on revelation, on grace and on the nature of the Church and the papal office. May he rest in peace."

In April, Pope Benedict XVI made a point of visiting the ailing Cardinal Dulles while the pope was in the US. Over at Whispers in the Loggia, Rocco Palmo has the text of a note Benedict sent to Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York upon hearing of Cardinal Dulles's death:

"Having learned with sadness of the death of Cardinal Avery Dulles, I offer you my heartfelt condolences, which I ask you kindly to convey to his family, his confreres in the Society of Jesus and the academic community of Fordham University. I join you in commending the late cardinal's noble soul to God, the father of mercies, with immense gratitude for the deep learning, serene judgment, and unfailing love of the Lord and His church which marked his entire priestly ministry and his long years of teaching and theological research. At the same time I pray that his convincing personal testimony to the harmony of faith and reason will continue to bear fruit for the conversion of minds and hearts and the progress of the Gospel for many years to come. To all who mourn him in the hope of the resurrection I cordially impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ."

You can read my 2001 interview with Cardinal Dulles here.

(Photo, by Massimo Sambucetti/AP, shows Pope John Paul II greeting Cardinal Dulles at the Vatican in 2001.)