Cardinal Angelo Sodano, once-powerful Vatican prelate, dies at 94 (AP)

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the former Vatican Secretary of State (1991-2006) and Dean of the College of Cardinals (2005-2019), died on May 27 at the age of 94 after contracting Covid.

In a telegram of condolence to the late prelate’s sister, Pope Francis said that “the passing of Cardinal Angelo Sodano stirs in my soul sentiments of gratitude to the Lord for the gift of this esteemed man of the Church, who lived his priesthood with generosity.”

“I remember his diligent work alongside many of my predecessors, who entrusted important responsibilities to him in Vatican diplomacy, culminating in the delicate office of Secretary of State,” the Pontiff wrote. “In the pontifical representations in Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile, he devoted himself zealously to the good of those populations, promoting dialogue and reconciliation.”

“In the Roman Curia he carried out his mission with exemplary dedication,” the Pope added. “I, too, was able to benefit from his gifts of mind and heart ... In every assignment he showed himself to be an ecclesially disciplined man, an amiable pastor, animated by a desire to spread the leaven of the Gospel everywhere.”