In the telegram addressed to, current Archbishop of Bologna, Matteo Maria Zuppi, the Pope said he shares in the suffering of the late cardinal’s loved ones.
“I think affectionately of this dear Brother in the Episcopate, who served the Gospel with joy and loved the Church intensely.»
«I remember with gratitude,» Pope Francis continued, «the generous pastoral work carried out by him.» The Pontiff remembered his work at the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, and as a ‘zealous pastor.’
The Holy Father prayed the Lord, through the intercession of Mary and Saint Petronius, «will receive His faithful servant and distinguished Pastor in the Heavenly Jerusalem.»
The Pope then imparted his heartfelt Apostolic Blessing to the faithful of Bologna and to all those who knew and esteemed the late Italian cardinal.