Benedict XVI mourns the death of Cardinal Martini
Generous servant
of the Gospel and the Church
The Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Archbishop emeritus of Milan,
passed away yesterday, 31 August. He was 85 years old and had for some time been
battling Parkinson's disease. Upon hearing the news Benedict XVI recalled this
religious figure, a scholar and pastor, in a message of condolence sent to
Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan.
Having learnt with sadness the news of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini
after his long illness, endured with a serene spirit and confident in
abandonment to the will of the Lord, I would like to express to you and to the
entire Diocesan community and those close to the late Cardinal my profound share
in their sorrow, thinking warmly of our dear brother who generously served the
Gospel and the Church. I recall with gratitude his intense and profuse apostolic
work as a spiritual son of St Ignatius, an experienced teacher, an authoritative
biblical scholar and beloved rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University and
of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and then as a diligent and wise Archbishop
of the Ambrosian Archdiocese. I think also of the competent and earnest service
he rendered to the word of God, opening ever more the treasures of Sacred
Scripture to the Ecclesial community, especially through his promotion of
Lectio Divina. I raise my fervent prayers to the Lord that, through
the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he may welcome his faithful servent
and distinguished pastor to the Heavenly Jerusalem, and from my heart I impart
my Apostolic Blessing to those who mourn his death.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
In another telegram sent to Cardinal Scola, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
Secretary of State, expressed his own personal condolences and those “of the
Secretariat of State and the entire Roman Curia” on the death of the Cardinal
who “witnessed and taught the primacy of spiritual life and at the same time how
to attentively listen to man in his various existential and social conditions”.
The President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano spoke of “a painful and
grave loss not only for the Church and for the Catholic world but also for
Italy, the country of which he was a son and to which he gave a great part of
his commitment and his teaching”, recalling in particular “his knowledge and
universal vision for Christianity and innovative paths of interreligious
dialogue” as well as his capacity to “dialogue with Italians as a great maestro
of intellectual and moral life”. The Prime Minister of Italy Mario Monti spoke
of Cardinal Martini in the pages of Corriere della sera defining him
as “a point of reference of exceptional charisma and firm authority combined
with a deep respect for every interlocutor”, underlining especially his
passionate belief in the value of a united Europe.
The
biography of Cardinal Martini
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