Cardinal Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas, died on Sept. 23 at 79 years old. He is the second cardinal to die of Covid-19. The first was Brazilian cardinal, Eusébio Oscar Scheid.
Pope Benedict XVI named him the Archbishop of Caracas in 2005. It was a delicate period, at the height of Chavismo. Tensions with the government continued into Maduro's mandate.
CARD. JORGE UROSA SAVINO
Archbishop of Caracas (Venezuela)
“Let us fervently pray too, brothers and sisters, for our beloved Venezuela. That we may all coexist fraternally, as members of one great people, and that we may peacefully resolve our conflicts.”
Cardinal Urosa participated in the conclave in March 2013 that elected Pope Francis. He was a member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
Before his death, as his health deteriorated, he wrote a farewell note in which he makes a “declaration of love to God, the Church and Venezuela.” In the note, he also says he feels “immensely happy to have been a priest” and thanks God for having guided him through “unexpected paths of service and very important responsibilities within the Church.”
With his death, the number of cardinal electors falls to 121.
RM
TR: CT
