Pope’s condolences for death of Spanish Cardinal Cardinal Urbano Navarrete Cortés

(November 22, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI expressed his condolences at the death of Spanish Jesuit Cardinal Urbano Navarrete Cortés who passed away Monday morning. His death came three days after the Pope created 24 new cardinals. The 90-year old prelate, who died at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome, was a widely known canonist and former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University of the Jesuit’s in Rome. In a message to Jesuit General Fr. Adolf Nicolas, the Holy Father said he always had deep esteem for Cardinal Navarette both for his personal witness to Christian and consecrated life as well as for his exemplary service to the new generation, especially priests. Born of farmer parents in Camarena de la Sierra, Spain, on May 25, 1920, he entered the Society of Jesus on June 20, 1937. Afater his licentiate in philosophy and in theology he obtained a doctorate in canon law. He was ordained a priest on May 31, 1952, and in 1958 was inducted into the faculty of Canon Law at Gregorian University until 1980, when he was appointed rector. Cardinal Urbano Navarrete was granted an honorary doctorate by the Pontifical University of Salamanca, in his native Spain, in 1994, and was a consultor to the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Roman Curia. On November 24, 2007 Pope Benedict conferred cardinalship on the 87-year old priest. The Pope agreed with Navarrete's request to be dispensed from the requirement of episcopal ordination before being made a cardinal. With his death the number of cardinals worldwide now stands at 202. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Dean of the College of Cardinals will celebrate the funeral Mass for Cardinal Urbano Navarrete in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, at the end of which Pope Benedict will deliver the final farewell speech.