UNESCO celebrated the 400th anniversary of Matteo Ricci's death with a symposium and the opening of an exhibition. More than 700 people convened for the celebration on February 16 at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.
The event began with an introduction by Stanislaw Cardinal Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the laity, entitled: On friendship, a method for the encounter. Reflections on Matteo Ricci's experience. The cardinal noted how the Jesuit earned admiration both in China and in Europe "for having opened the road to the encounter of two cultures, accomplishing something no one had done before." The day continued with the screening of a documentary film by Gjon Kolndrekaj, Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit in the Reign of the Dragoon and the opening of the exposition Father Matteo Ricci: at the service of the Lord of Heaven. The exhibition will travel next to Lisieux, where it will remain until June; in September it will move to Korea, as a perpetual sign of the dialogue among peoples fostered by Matteo Ricci.
Meanwhile in Australia, Matteo Ricci stars in a new film. In 2009 two Jesuits, Fr Jeremy Clarke (ASL) and Fr Jim McDermott (WIS), traveled to China to film a documentary to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Ricci's death. With a camera, tripod and little else, these two Jesuits traveled the length of China, retracing the footsteps of Ricci and other pioneers of the early Chinese Church. The 60 minute film features famous cities and historic sites, including the old Jesuit observatory and the cemetery where Ricci is buried. The film is a celebration of the 400 year history of Chinese Catholicism and was launched on the 26th of February at Saint Ignatius College, Riverview, Australia. (Source: Electronic News Service SJ. Vol. XIV, N. 5. 8 March 2010)
Hong Kong is also preparing for an Ignatian Symposium to mark the 400th Anniversary of the death of Fr Matteo Ricci. It will be held on December 2 – 5, 2010 with the theme is The Ricci Legacy: Finding God in Cultures. For more information, visit the site http://xavier.ignatian.net/html/is2010/.