Rome, Italy, May 21, 2008 / 11:12 am
During a Mass commemorating Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo death last month, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, recalled the late cardinal as a “passionate defender of the Gospel, with a robust strength of will, a brilliant clarity of thought and a man of boundless dedication and determination” for defending life and the family.
During the homily for the Mass at the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, Cardinal Re said, “He never lacked courage, especially when he was trying to defend the non-negotiable values” of human life, the family and marriage. And it is true, he continued, “He never feared unpopularity or hostility. He was maligned, but the falsehoods leveled against him never stopped him or intimidated him.”
According to L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Re remembered the late Colombian prelate as “a pastor with great personality and firm decisions,” which were sometimes criticized and opposed. “Nonetheless, one cannot deny the uprightness and great inspiration that formed the basis of his dynamism” and that made him “a true man of the Church during his entire ministry, desirous only of promoting the good,” especially with regards to the defense of the family, “which today is under threat.”
Cardinal Re also recalled Cardinal Trujillo’s years of service to the Church as a priest, and later, as president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. He also brought to mind the words of Pope Benedict XVI at the cardinal’s funeral Mass. “We all admired his tireless activity. We cannot help but be thankful for the tenacious battle he waged in defense of the truth about family love and the spread of the Gospel of the family.”
He called on the faithful to pray for Cardinal Trujillo to be received in the peace of Christ and enjoy “the vision of God face to face.”