Pope Francis paid tribute to the “fruitful testimony” of Italian Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, President Emeritus of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See (2008-2011), who died on September 9, 2017, on the eve of his 82 years old, in Rome. The Pope particularly welcomed his service in the formation of priests, with the Holy See, and in missions of trust.
In a telegram addressed to the Cardinal’s brother, Angelo De Paolis, the Pope expressed his sadness at the death “after a long and painful illness” that the Cardinal lived “with a serene spirit and a trusting surrender to the will of the Lord”.
He expressed his condolences to those who “knew and valued the late cardinal” and recalled with gratitude his “competences in the legal field”, his many years of teaching in the pontifical universities “for the formation of the younger generations, especially of the priests.”
The Pope also noted his Holy See service “first as secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, then as president of the Prefecture for the economic affairs of the Holy See, as well as in other delicate and trustworthy missions “. Cardinal De Paolis was in particular the Pontifical Delegate of the Legionaries of Christ, for the renewal of the Congregation, from 2010 to 2014.
Paying homage to his “fruitful testimony of priestly zeal and fidelity to the Gospel,” the pope assured his prayers for the repose of the cardinal and gave his apostolic blessing to the bereaved.
After his death, the College of Cardinals has 220 members, including 120 voters in the event of a conclave and 100 non-voters over 80 years. Funeral service will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, September 11th by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College
