Liverpool, England, Jan 4, 2022 / 03:35 am
A cardinal said on Monday that he was grateful to be honored by Queen Elizabeth II in the British monarch’s annual New Year’s list.
Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, a former president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, was made an OBE — or Officer of the Order of the British Empire — by the queen on Dec. 31 for “for services to Interfaith and Interchurch Partnership.”
“I am appreciative and grateful for this award, particularly considering that my ‘service to interfaith relations’ has taken place mainly outside the U.K.,” he told CNA on Jan. 3.
The retired 84-year-old cardinal, who lives in Liverpool, England, has dedicated his life to strengthening relations between Christians and Muslims.