The following is the telegram of condolences for the death yesterday, Wednesday 4 September, in France, of His Eminence Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, of the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Porto-Santa Rufina, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, sent by the Holy Father Francis to Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne:

Telegram of the Holy Father

Bishop Marc AILLET
of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron
BAYONNE

Upon hearing with great sorrow of the death of Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, I would like to express to you my deep condolences and my union in prayer. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, whom I entrust to God’s mercy, profoundly marked the way of the Church in France and of the universal Church. From Bayonne, his native diocese, to Marseille, where he was archbishop, he was a zealous pastor and loved by the people he was called to serve. Appointed in Rome by Saint John Paul II to lead the Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace and Cor Unum, and then as Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, he was an advisor who was listened to and appreciated, especially in difficult situations for the life of the Church in different regions of the world. I have an emotional memory of this man of deep faith and with his eyes turned to the ends of the earth, always alert when it came to proclaiming the Gospel to today’s people. May the Lord welcome His Servant in His peace and in everlasting joy! As a token of comfort, I impart my apostolic blessing to you, Your Excellency, and to the Bishops present, the relatives of the late Cardinal, his former brothers in the diocese of Marseille and all those who will take part, in hope, in the funeral celebration.

FRANCISCUS PP.