Benedict XVI:Telegram on the death of Cardinal Martini
(Vatican Radio) Below please find the complete text of Pope Benedict XVI's telegram
of condolence for the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini:
Having
heard with sadness the news of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini after a long
illness, which he lived with a tranquil soul and with confident abandonment to the
will of the Lord, I wish to express to you and to the entire diocesan community, as
well as to the family of the late Cardinal, my profound share in their sorrow, recalling
with affection this dear brother who served the Gospel and the Church so generously.
I recall with gratitude the intense and profuse Apostolic work of this zealous, spiritual
child of St. Ignatius, an expert teacher, an authoritative biblical scholar, and a
beloved Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University and of the Pontifical Biblical
Institute, and a wise and diligent Archbishop of the Ambrosian Archdiocese. I think
also of the competent and fervent service he gave to the Word of God, always opening
to the ecclesial community the treasures of the Sacred Scriptures, especially through
the promotion of Lectio Divina. I raise fervent prayers to the Lord that, through
the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, He will receive His faithful servant
and worthy shepherd into the heavenly Jerusalem; and upon all those who mourn his
death, I warmly impart the comfort of the Apostolic Blessing.