Late Miami archbishop remembered as mentor and gentleman

Miami, Fla., Jun 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Hundreds attended the three-hour viewing and funeral mass Sunday for Miami’s late Archbishop Edward McCarthy at St. Mary's Cathedral. Archbishop McCarthy, who died June 8 at the age of 87, served as archbishop of Miami from 1977 to 1994.

Archbishop McCarthy's former aide, Msgr. Pablo Navarro, delivered a moving homily. He said everyone was equal in Archbishop McCarthy’s eyes. The late archbishop was equally at ease in the company of Queen Elizabeth as he was with the homeless at a local soup kitchen, Msgr. Navarro.

According to a report by Robert Steinback, those in attendance remembered the archbishop as a kind gentleman, a “magnificent human being”, a mentor and a friend.

The archbishop was able to reach out to people of all backgrounds and ethnicities with his warm personality, said Fr. Michael Carruthers, who also served as the archbihop’s aide.

During his time as archbishop waves of immigrants from impoverished countries, like Cuba and Haiti, were welcomed into the local church.

Altida Simon, who moved to Miami from Haiti in 1972, said the archbishop granted her community a Haitian Mass. “He never refused us,” she said.