VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2005 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Basilica, Benedict XVI presided at the funeral Mass for Cardinal Giuseppe Caprio, who died on Saturday at the age of 90.
In his homily, the Pope stressed how the late cardinal had "faithfully served the Church," and recalled some of the principal moments of his life: his birth in a village in the Irpinia region of southern Italy, his years at the seminary of Benevento, and his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome leading to his priestly ordination in 1938. Quoting cardinal Caprio's last will and testament he said: "I give thanks to God with a heart full of emotion and gratitude for having called me to the priesthood."
The Holy Father continued: "We too now unite ourselves in prayer with his thanksgiving as, for his soul, we prepare to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the center ... of priestly life. I like to think, especially in these days when the entire Church is concentrated on the Eucharistic mystery, that there, on the altar, the life and ministry of the cardinal came together in profound unity."
Benedict XVI then went on to refer to the years the cardinal spent at the service of the Apostolic See in Nanking, Brussels, Saigon, Taipei and New Delhi. "The presence of the Risen Christ was certainly a comfort in his most difficult moments, such as the period he spent under house arrest in the nunciature in Nanking in 1951, followed by his expulsion from China."
Benedict XVI mentioned the motto of "Pax in virtute," chosen by the late prelate when Blessed John XXIII appointed him an archbishop in 1961, then spoke of his career as pro-nuncio to India, his participation in Vatican Council II and his later appointment as substitute of the Secretariat of State and president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.
Created a cardinal by John Paul II in 1979, Giuseppe Caprio was, said Benedict XVI, always recognized for his "global view of the problems of the Church, and his constant concern to consider administrative aspects with respect to higher interests, in full adherence to the spirit of the Council."
In closing, the Pope recalled Cardinal Caprio's love of the East and exclaimed: "With affection and gratitude, let us accompany this brother of ours on his voyage to the true East, in other words to Christ, the sun than never sets, trusting faithfully that God will welcome him with open arms."
HML/DEATH/CAPRIO VIS 20051018 (430)
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