Pope’s condolence for death of Italian Cardinal Carlo Martini

(September 01, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday expressed deep sorrow at the death of prominent Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, former archbishop of Milan. The 85-year old immensely popular Jesuit cardinal, a renowned biblical scholar, passed away on Friday in Milan, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. In a condolence message to Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, Pope Benedict noted how the late prelate lived his long illness with serenity and faithful surrender to God’s will. While fondly recalling Cardinal Martini’s generous service to the Gospel and the Church, the Holy Father expressed gratitude for his "intense apostolic work" as a Jesuit, a professor, an "authoritative biblicist" and a beloved Rector of both the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome." The Pope praised Cardinal Martini as "a wise and diligent Archbishop” of Milan. The commended the prelate’s commitment to the Word of God, opening the treasures of the Holy Scripture to the Christian community, particularly by promoting the Lectio Divina, Born in Orbassano, near Turin, in 1927, Cardinal Martini joined the Jesuits in 1944, when he was just 17 years old. He was ordained to the priesthood eight years later, in 1952. Pope John Paul II chose Cardinal Martini to head the Archdiocese of Milan in 1979, and made him a cardinal in 1983. He retired as Archbishop of Milano in 2002. With Cardinal Martini’s death the number of cardinals in the world now stands at 206, of whom 118 are below 80 years of age and hence are eligible to participate in a conclave to elect a Pope.