Cardinal Avery Dulles, SJ Passes Away

(December 13, 2008) Cardinal Avery Dulles, a Jesuit Prelate, passed away on December 12 at Fordham University at the age of 90. He was a great theologian and a totally dedicated servant of the Church," said Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "His wise counsel will be missed; his personal witness to the pursuit of holiness of life as a priest, a Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Church will be remembered and will encourage the Church to remain ever faithful to her Lord and his mission," Cardinal George said. Cardinal Dulles, who served as a professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America and later as the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham, assisted the Conference of U S Bishops as a key contributor to the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue and to the committee on doctrine. "For a generation of priests, scholars and faithful, Cardinal Avery Dulles has been a reliable and faithful interpreter of the Second Vatican Council. The first U.S. theologian and U.S. Jesuit to be elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2001, Cardinal Dulles was, at his own request, not consecrated a bishop. Pope Benedict XVI met with Cardinal Dulles in a private audience on April 19, during the pope's pastoral visit to the United States. Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J. was born on 24 August 1918 in Auburn (New York), USA. The son of U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, he was raised a Protestant but converted to the Catholic faith while a student at Harvard College. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained on 16 June 1956. He holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. The author of 21 books and over 650 articles, he was President of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the American Theological Society. He was also a member of the International Theological Commission and the U.S. Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogue. With his demise the number of Cardinals will be 190, with 116 having the right to elect the new Pope.