VATICAN CITY, AUG. 31, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Corrado Ursi, the archbishop emeritus of Naples who was renowned for his work with the poor, died Friday in that city. He was 95.
The cardinal was known in Italy for having fostered the implementation of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the archdiocese, and for his work of human and Christian promotion among the poorest.
He was archbishop of Naples from 1966 to 1987. There he established an archdiocesan center to study the challenge of helping the poor. He launched projects for schools, homes, and institutions of formation and shelter for families living in slums, as well as for former convicts, the illiterate, and abandoned children.
Upon receiving news of the death, John Paul II sent a telegram to the present archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Michele Giordano, in which he recalls «with admiration [Ursi’s] fruitful and multifaceted apostolic activity.»
Cardinal’s Ursi’s work was «animated by the desire to apply the pastoral guidelines of Vatican Council II, promoting an authentic ecclesial renewal, faithful to Christ, and always docile to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit,» the Pope recalled.
Corrado Ursi was born in Andria in 1908 and ordained a priest in 1931. He was rector of the seminary of Molfetta from 1944 to 1951, the year of his episcopal consecration as bishop of Nardo.
After being transferred as bishop to Acerenza and Potenza, Pope Paul VI appointed him archbishop of Naples until he was replaced for reasons of health.
With the death, the College of Cardinals now has 165 members, including 109 electors who could vote in a conclave.
