Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte died in Canada following a lengthy illness. He was 78.
He was ordained a priest in 1959 at the age of 22 and became a bishop in 1982. Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Montreal in 1990. He was made a cardinal four years later. ;
Turcotte was well-known in Canada, where he often appeared on television and radio. He also wrote a newspaper column for more than a decade.
Although he staunchly defended Catholic tradition, Turcotte supported reform and modernization of the Church. ;
The Canadian cardinal participated in the conclaves that elected Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. He predicted that Pope Francis would have a special focus on the poor.
The College of Cardinals now has 122 cardinals eligible to vote in a future conclave and 225 overall.
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