Pope’s condolence for Spanish cardinal’s death

(May 02, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his sadness over the death of retired Spanish Cardinal Agustín García-Gasco y Vicente who passed away Sunday morning in Rome, the day Pope John Paul II was beatified. In a condolence message to Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra of Valencia the Pope remembered “the great service rendered to the Church” by the former archbishop of Valencia. Recalling the unforgettable memory of his visit to the Mediterranean city on the occasion of the 5^th World Meeting of the Families, Pope Benedict recalled the “diligent apostolic zeal” of Card. Vicente, first as the auxiliary bishop of Madrid and as the secretary of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, and then as the head of Valencia archdiocese. He said the late cardinal was wisely, generously and steadily committed to the evangelising mission and tirelessly promoted numerous pastoral initiatives, especially in education and for the family. The 80-year-old cardinal who had come to Rome for the beatification of John Paul II, had participated in Saturday night's vigil at Rome Circus Maximus in preparation for Sunday’s beatification. When he did not arrive for breakfast Sunday morning, he was discovered in his room and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. With his death, the College of Cardinals has 198 members, 115 of whom are eligible to vote for a new pope.