Cardinal Winning Died Virtually Penniless

His will confirmed that the cardinal literally practiced what he preached when he read from Matthew 19:24: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." He died in June after suffering two heart attacks.

According to Church sources, Cardinal Winning left only a couple of thousand pounds to his sister, niece and nephew. An insider said: "It is enough for a modest holiday but no more."

The cardinal preferred to be sustained by charity than take the stipend of £4,000 ($5,800) a year he was entitled to as archbishop of Glasgow.

For the last seven years, he survived on cash gifts received in 1994 as congratulatory gestures on his appointment as a cardinal. For 11 years he also drew his old-age pension of £72.50 ($105) per week.

The cardinal´s refusal to take his rightful pay saved the Scottish Catholic Church more than £100,000 ($145,000) in his 27-year tenure. The cardinal lived in a villa on the south side of Glasgow, but his home and car belonged to the Church.