Milan, Italy, Sep 4, 2012 / 09:09 am
Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who was buried Sept. 3 in Milan, the northern Italian city where he served as archbishop for over two decades.
"May the Lord, who guided Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini his whole life, receive this tireless servant of the Gospel and of the Church in the Heavenly Jerusalem," said Pope Benedict in a personal message that was read to mourners by his representative, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica.
Cardinal Martini died at the age of 85 on Friday, Aug. 31 after suffering for several years from Parkinson's disease.
A native of Turin, Carlo Maria Martini entered the Society of Jesus in 1944 and was ordained a priest eight years later. In 1979, Pope John Paul II appointed him the Archbishop of Milan, Europe's largest diocese, elevating him to the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1983. He retired as archbishop in 2002.