Cardinal Capovilla remembered as close friend of Saint John XXIII

Last updated on: May 27, 2016 at 9:04 pm by CNA Daily News

Cardinal Capovilla remembered as close friend of Saint John XXIII 2016-05-27T21:04:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Bergamo, Italy, May 27, 2016 / 03:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Loris Capovilla, St. John XXIII’s personal secretary, died May 26 at the age of 100. He had been the closest collaborator of the sainted “Good Pope John” for ten years.

Pope Francis sent his condolences in a telegram to Bishop Francesco Beschi of Bergamo. He said that Cardinal Capovilla “witnessed the Gospel with joy and served the Gospel with docility, first in the Diocese of Venice, and later with careful affection at the end of John XXIII’s life.” He called the cardinal “a zealous guardian and sound interpreter” of St. John XXIII's memory.

Capovilla’s long-term service turned into a lifelong commitment when John XXIII left all of his papers to his faithful secretary. Pope Francis named Archbishop Capovilla a cardinal during the Feb. 22, 2014 consistory on the eve of John XXIII’s canonization.

The cardinal lived in the Diocese of Bergamo. Cardinal Capovilla recently became sick due to age and had to be transferred to the Beato Palazzolo Clinic of Bergamo. When Pope Francis heard this, he made a May 16 phone call to the hospital to speak with the secretary of his predecessor.

Senator Marco Beato, an Italian MP who was a very good friend of the cardinal, was present with the ailing man.

“Fr. Loris could not talk anymore, but when he recognized the voice of the Pope, his face brightened. He had just enough strength to thank the Pope,” Beato told L’Eco di Bergamo, the Bergamo diocese’s newspaper.

Cardinal Capovilla’s story at the side of John XXIII starts in 1953.

Since 1940 he had been a priest of the Patriarchate of Venice and editor-in-chief of its magazine La Voce di San Marco. When he was appointed Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli chose the priest as his personal secretary.

Cardinal Capovilla recounted how he was chosen for the position in a conversation with Fr. Ezio Bolis, director of the John XXIII Foundation, published in the book Loris F. Capovilla: I miei anni con Papa Giovanni XXIII.

Roncalli’s choice of personal secretary drew concern from Msgr. Erminio Macacek, the vicar of Venice. He told the future Pope: “Your eminence, he is a good priest, he is good, but he is not very healthy. He will not live for long.” And Roncalli immediately replied: “Well, if he is not healthy, he will come with me and will die with me.”

These concerns for his health proved unfounded. Cardinal Capovilla died five months shy of his 101st birthday.

He was born Oct. 14, 1915 in Pontelongo in the province of Padua. After the death of his father, Capovilla moved to the Mestre municipality of Venice in 1929. He was ordained a priest in Venice on May 23, 1940, which fell on the Feast of Corpus Christi. By coincidence, the cardinal passed away on the same feast.

After his ordination, the cardinal worked in various positions in the diocese: in parishes, in the Curia, at schools, and in hospitals. He worked with Catholic Action was an assistant for minor inmates in prison. During the Second World War, he saved the lives of 10 Italian pilots who were chased by the Germans. For this reason was awarded with the Italian War Merit Cross.

He would spend ten years as Cardinal Roncalli’s personal secretary.

Cardinal Capovilla is considered to be behind some of the most groundbreaking episodes of St. John XXIII’s life. He encouraged the Pope’s meeting with Jules Isaac, a French historian and Jew whose family was taken to Auschwitz. The meeting provided an example of Catholic-Jewish friendship. The encounter between Isaac and John XXIII is the seed which blossomed into the Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra aetate on the relations of the Church with non-Christian religions.

Then a Nov. 23, 1962 letter to then-Msgr. Capovilla from Cardinal Pietro Pavan suggested that an encyclical be drafted. This encyclical would be published in April 1963 as Pacem In Terris.

After St. John XXIII’s death on June 3, 1963, Msgr. Capovilla stayed in the Vatican for four more years in the service of Bl. Paul VI. He was then appointed Archbishop of Chieti in 1967, and in 1971 prelate of the Pontifical Shrine of Loreto.

In 1989, he retired in Sotto il Monte, John XXIII’s hometown, where he kept the late Pope’s memory alive. Cardinal Capovilla curated many of St. John XXIII’s writings. These include his memoir and diaries titled: “The heart and mind of John XXIII.”

Europe

Previous Post

May 27, 2016

Pope Francis met with Orionines today. Who are they?

Next Post

May 28, 2016 Iraqi refugee children make First Communion in Erbil camp

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: James states that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE