TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF CARDINAL LEBRUN

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2001 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram sent by Pope John Paul II to Cardinal Ignacio Antonio Velasco Garcia, archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela, upon hearing of the death late yesterday of Cardinal Jose Ali Lebrun Moratinos, former archbishop of Caracas, at the age of 81:

"Having learned the sad news of the death of Cardinal Jose Ali Lebrun Moratinos, archbishop emeritus of Caracas, I offer fervent prayers, together with the faithful of this diocesan community where he exercised his episcopal ministry with care, and I ask God to grant eternal repose unto him, the leader and pastor of the diocese for so many years.

"While I recall his pastoral action full of abnegation, applying the doctrine of Vatican Council II and promoting the renewal of the Church in fidelity to Christ and to the Successor of Peter, I express my heartfelt condolences to you, to the auxiliary bishops, the clergy, the religious communities and the faithful of this beloved archdiocese. I ask you to send my condolences to the relatives of the deceased cardinal, as I impart to them and to those participating in the funeral Mass, the comfort of an Apostolic Blessing, as a sign of faith and Christian hope in the Risen Lord."

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