Pope Francis has sent a telegram of condolence to Patriarch Francesco Moraglia of Venice, Italy, on the death yesterday of Cardinal Marco Ce, patriarch emeritus of Venice who died on Sunday at the age of 88.
The Pope expressed his closeness and prayer “for the entire diocesan community, the family of the deceased cardinal, and all those who knew him”, and recalled “his tireless work in the dioceses of Crema and Bologna, and in Catholic Action”.
He said the cardinal was a “gentle and wise pastor of the Church in Venice” who offered “generous service to the Word of God through the preaching of days of spirituality for the clergy and for the young” and his “great efforts to bring about an authentic liturgical spirit”.
Venice and the surrounding community has been mourning the death of Cardinal Cè, and twenty-one bells have been ringing in St. Mark’s Square in his honor.
Cardinal Cè’s heart stopped at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Civil Hospital of Venice where he had been hospitalized for a month due to a broken femur following a domestic incident at his home, reported Il Gazzetino.
Pope John Paul II appointed him Patriarch of Venice on December 7, 1978, shortly after being elected Pope.
As soon as Patriarch Moraglia heard of Cè’s death, he went to pay homage to his predecessor’s mortal remains.
Born in Izano in the Lombardy region of Italy on July 8, 1925, to a family of farmers, Marco Cè became a priest March 27, 1948. He taught at the diocesan seminary of Crema, where he was appointed rector in 1958.
After his election to partriarch, he served until he reached the age limit of 75, and welcomed his successor Cardinal Angelo Scola in March 2002. (D.C.L.)
