Pontiff Mourns Ecuadorean Cardinal

(October 15, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI is mourning Cardinal Antonio González Zumárraga, retired archbishop of Quito, Ecuador, who died Monday at age 83. The Pope sent a telegram to express his condolences for the death of the cardinal. "Deeply saddened by the death of the beloved cardinal," the Holy Father said, "I wish to express my deepest condolences to the pastor, auxiliary bishops, clergy and faithful of that particular Church, as well as to the relatives of the late cardinal, joining them in fervent prayers to the Lord that he may grant his peace to one who served the Church with such intensity and generosity during his pastoral ministry, as guide of the Diocese of Machala and later as archbishop of this metropolitan see." The pope said the cardinal dedicated his life, even up to "his final days, to the evangelical mission" of the church, most notably as honorary president of the Ecuadorean bishops' conference and as committee president of the American Missionary Congress.Antonio González Zumárraga was born in Ecuador in 1925. He was ordained a priest at age 26, and made auxiliary bishop of Quito in 1969. Pope John Paul II elevated Cardinal Gonzalez to the College of Cardinals in 2001