At the Funeral Mass

03 June 2022

On Tuesday morning, 31 May, the Church bid farewell to former Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, at a Requiem Mass celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.

At the conclusion of the service, Pope Francis offered the final valediction, commending the soul of Cardinal Sodano to the mercy of Almighty God.

In his homily during the Mass, Cardinal Re recalled Sodano’s 71 years of priesthood and over 60 years of service to the Holy See. “In his long years of service to the Holy See, Cardinal Sodano firmly believed in Christ and followed Him faithfully, serving Him with love and dedication to the Church and His Vicar. [...] Many of us were able to appreciate Cardinal Sodano up close”, said Cardinal Re, highlighting the late Cardinal’s “gifts of intellect and heart, his sensitivity to the pastoral aims of the Church’s action in the world, his wisdom in assessing events and situations and his readiness to help, seeking appropriate solutions in every case”.