VATICAN CITY, FEB. 8, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Casoria, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, died this morning in Rome, in the Pius XI Clinic. He was 92.
Upon receiving the news, John Paul II expressed his «heartfelt condolences» to all the cardinal´s relatives, in a telegram addressed to his niece, Maria Cristina Casoria Bigliardo.
In the message, the Pope refers to Cardinal Casoria as a «zealous servant» in his «integral fidelity to Christ,» the Church, and the Holy See, and as a brilliant theologian, reflected in his prized publications.
Born in 1908 in Acerra, in the province of Naples, Father Giuseppe Casoria was elevated to episcopal dignity by Paul VI in 1972. The following year, this same Pope appointed him secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
In 1981, John Paul II named him prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Worship and the Sacraments and, in the consistory of Feb. 2, 1983, made him a cardinal.
Cardinal Casoria held many posts in the Vatican, particularly in the Roman Rota, as well as the Congregations for the Oriental Churches, for the Council and the Clergy, for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
His funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Peter´s Basilica. With this death, and the upcoming consistory, the College of Cardinals will number 184 cardinals, of whom 135 are electors.
