Pope Leo XIV presides over the funeral Mass for Cardinal Ruini, a key figure in the Italian Church for decades, who passed away last Tuesday at the age of 95.
By Daniele Piccini
A “wise and diligent shepherd” who served the Church “both in the humblest tasks and in those laden with the greatest responsibility.” A guide for the People of God and for his brother bishops, offering a direction “in important and delicate moments.”
That was how Pope Leo XIV, in his funeral homily, described Cardinal Camillo Ruini—who died on June 16 at the age of 95—in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday afternoon.
The late cardinal served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome and Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran from 1991 to 2008, and as President of the Italian Episcopal Conference from 1991 to 2007. In his homily, Pope Leo recalled with gratitude the projects, insights, and initiatives undertaken by Ruini during his many years of service to the Church.
The cardinal’s coffin, resting on a carpet in front of the altar, bore the open Book of the Gospels, to which he had devoted his entire life.
Cardinals and bishops pray, with Cardinal Ruini’s coffin in the foreground (@Vatican Media)
A response to God’s charity
The Pope said that the readings chosen for the day’s liturgy suggested attitudes of fidelity to Christ and the Church, of which Cardinal Ruini was a joyful example. The first reading came from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans, which reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God—a truth that, Leo said, also “animated” the late cardinal.
Likewise, the Pope said that the reading from the Gospel according to John—in which Jesus prays to the Father that “those whom you have given me” may be “where I am”—pointed to the guiding principle of Cardinal Ruini’s life.
“In these words,” Pope Leo said, “we find summarized the program, the direction, and the ultimate goal of a life spent for the good of his brothers and lived in constant search for God’s designs for his own salvation and theirs.”
The late Cardinal Ruini, Leo said, had the opportunity to work “with some of the great saints of recent times, such as Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II.” It was from the latter, Leo said, that Ruini absorbed the most.
Toward truth
All the exemplary personal qualities of the cardinal, Pope Leo continued, find their highest expression in the motto he chose for his episcopate: “The truth will set you free.” This piece of biblical wisdom, he said, is particularly instructive to recall in our times, which are characterised by disorientation and fluidity.
Bringing his homily to a close, the Pope prayed that God would grant the deceased “the reward of His peace that knows no end” and thanked those who, with “devoted dedication …. accompanied, assisted, and supported the cardinal” during the years of his ecclesial service as well as in those of old age and infirmity.
At the conclusion of the liturgy, after a prayer in Latin, Leo XIV sprinkled the coffin with holy water and incensed it with the thurible.
