Mourners in Kenya honor Catholic schoolgirl who died saving others in dormitory fire
Mourners gathered June 16 to bid farewell to Fortune Amaya Losike, a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl who died while reportedly rescuing fellow students from a dormitory fire that claimed the lives of 15 other girls in Gilgil within Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Nakuru.
Witness accounts indicated that Fortune had enough time to escape the May 28 inferno at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School yet she chose to save the lives of other girls that night before the ceiling of the dormitory caved in on her.
The grade 10 student, said to be the only child of her mother, was laid to rest in Turkana West, which is served by Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Lodwar.
In his homily at the burial, Father John Nzau said that Fortune, whose body could only be identified by her red-and-white rosary that appeared “almost brand-new” as if untouched by the fire, died “ready.”
“Christ should find us ready. He found our sister [Fortune] ready,” Nzau said, and added: “I was happy to learn that she was found with her weapon, a rosary. She died wearing the rosary. This means that she was united with Christ in her death and she will rise with Christ.”
The Kenyan member of the Salesians of Don Bosco described the young Catholic convert as “a heroine who lived well with others,” adding: “Our sister wanted to help others to safety, but the tragedy ended up befalling her. May she rest in peace.”
Speaking to local media, Fortune’s mother, Pauline Losike, described the aftermath, saying that she was able to identify her daughter by the rosary that hung on her neck. Her daughter also wore the rosary bracelet and wristwatch she had bought her.
“Fortune’s head and neck were burnt beyond recognition. But the rest of the body was OK. I was able to identify her by the rosary she was wearing on her neck, her bracelet, and her watch,” Losike said.
She recounted the testimony of her daughter’s friend who said that Fortune was unable to save her life after helping others to safety.
“She struggled to come out of the building, but something seemed to hold her leg. That’s when a ceiling fell on her. She started screaming for help, but the other girls were helpless,” Losike said.
Father Casmir Odundo, a Kenyan priest of the Nakuru Diocese studying in Rome, recounted the difficult ordeal Fortune’s mother went through, searching for her child at the school and in hospitals near the school after news of the fire broke.
At one of the hospitals, Losike is said to have met a Muslim friend of Fortune who had witnessed her final moments.
The Muslim girl explained that when the fire started, Fortune had an opportunity to escape with her, but she chose to remain behind with a few other girls to help others get out safely.
The fire is said to have continued spreading, trapping Fortune and some other girls inside. The only possible escape route was through the windows. Even then, she allowed other girls to go first.
Her Muslim friend, who had already reached safety, kept urging Fortune to jump. “When Fortune finally attempted to do so, something caught one of her legs and prevented her escape. At that moment, part of the roof collapsed and struck her. Her friend could only watch helplessly and later heard Fortune and others crying out for help — an experience that has left the young girl deeply traumatized,” Losike’s friend told Odundo.
Speaking about the red-and-white rosary and other items by which Losike identified her daughter, the friend told Odundo: “What surprised her [Losike] was that these items appeared untouched by the fire. Although Fortuneʼs head and neck had been severely burned, the rosary remained intact, looking almost brand-new. This has left Pauline with many questions and reflections.”
The friend said that Fortuneʼs spiritual journey was unique.
While attending St. Peterʼs Girls Boarding Primary School in the Nakuru Diocese, the young girl is said to have been baptized in the Catholic Church.
At home, however, she worshipped with her family at Miracle Church, a Protestant congregation attended by most of her relatives.
Moved by the events surrounding Fortune’s death, her family contacted the priest who baptized her, Father Vincent Marube. The priest is said to have confirmed her baptism.
Meanwhile, Odundo described Fortune’s witness as moving and explained, in a note he sent to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on June 17: “At an age when many would naturally think first of their own safety, Fortune chose to remain behind so that others might live.”
He added: “In a world often marked by self-interest, the story of this young girl reminds us that holiness is not measured by age but by love. Whether in a classroom, a family home, or a moment of crisis, the call of the Gospel remains the same: to love God and to love our neighbor, even at great personal cost.”
“May the memory of Fortune Amaya inspire young people to live lives of faith, courage, and service,” the Rome-based priest said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Pope Leo XIV remembers Cardinal Ruini as a shepherd who guided the people of God
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV presided Thursday over the funeral rites for Cardinal Camillo Ruini, remembering him as a servant of the Church who “knew how to guide the people of God.”
The funeral liturgy took place June 18 at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica, two days after Ruini died late Tuesday, June 16. Several cardinals, archbishops, and bishops were present to bid farewell to one of the most prominent figures of the Italian Church.
“For many years he served the Church, carrying out with the same dedication both the humblest tasks and those most laden with responsibility that the Lord wished to entrust to him,” Pope Leo said in his homily.
The pope recalled Ruini’s long and influential ecclesial service, pointing in particular to the initiatives that “left a deep mark on the journey of the ecclesial community and also on civil society.”
Among them, Leo cited Ruini’s “Cultural Project,” his efforts to promote the contribution of Catholics in Italian religious, civil, and political life, the diocesan synod in Rome and its implementation, and his “active and dialoguing presence at the various levels of the life of the Church, as well as of the secular world and society.”
Reflecting on the readings proclaimed during the liturgy, the pope cited St. Paul’s words that neither death nor life, nor angels, principalities, the present, the future, powers, height, depth, or any other creature “will be able to separate us from the love of God.”
According to Pope Leo, this was “the truth that also animated Cardinal Ruini in his ministry.”
“The love of God is faithful,” the pope said. “Nothing can defeat it or separate us from it, because it is his gift, it comes from him, and it is poured out upon us beyond any merit of our own.”
Leo also quoted from Ruini’s spiritual testament, in which the cardinal, speaking of the many people to whom he felt gratitude for the good he had received, wrote: “From them I received no less than what I tried to give.”
“I think these are words that can also help us to live our responsibilities and our various forms of service with the same humility and the same trust in God,” the pope said.
The pope then turned to another passage from the day’s liturgy, taken from the Gospel of John: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.”
In those words, Pope Leo said, one can see the summary of a program of life — “the direction and ultimate purpose of a life spent for the good of one’s brothers and sisters and lived in the constant search for God’s designs for one’s own salvation and theirs.”
Again citing Ruini’s spiritual testament, the pope recalled the cardinal’s words: “I hope, Lord, that I have acted not for personal interests but for the goals that were entrusted to me and that I shared from the heart.”
Leo’s homily was also marked by memories of the popes Ruini served, including St. Paul VI and especially St. John Paul II, in whom — as Ruini himself wrote in his spiritual testament — the cardinal “experienced” the presence of the Lord.
At the end of the homily, the pope reflected on the episcopal motto Ruini chose as a bishop: “The truth will set us free.”
Those words, Leo said, “summarize the profound understanding of the person and of freedom that Christ has revealed to us and that the Church teaches: We are made for truth and for goodness, and only in this do we find unity, peace, and full fulfillment, in earthly life and for eternity.”
Looking at Ruini’s life, the pope concluded, “at how he lived and how he left this world, we can perceive a sign of the strength and solidity with which a person grows and matures when he finds in the truth that comes from God the center and foundation of his existence.”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV: Failure to understand Eastern Christianity impoverishes the Church
Pope Leo XIV has emphasized the value of the Eastern Catholic Churches, warning that failing to understand them is harmful to the Church.
In a private audience with members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches on June 18, Leo highlighted the great gift of the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome. He also explained that these Churches offer Catholics a rich diversity, often unknown to the wider Church.
“Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches have a great gift to offer the entire Catholic community, which is often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks,” the pope said. “The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church.”
Leo also stressed the importance of seminary formation for Eastern Catholics preparing for the clergy. He stated that this can help Catholics appreciate not only their own heritage but also that of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
“The Eastern Catholic communities preserve many of these [spiritual riches], sharing them with their brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Churches,” Leo explained. “It is good for us to delve deeper into these treasures together with millions of our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters, as we look forward to progress toward full unity with all the Eastern Churches.”
His remarks also included an appeal for peace in war-torn regions, particularly those where Eastern Christians are affected.
“Let us pray to Jesus, the Lord of peace, and appeal to people’s consciences so that they may be moved by indignation; and may respect for humanity and a proper sense of civility be restored!”
Pope Leo expected to visit 5 Peruvian cities in November, president says
VATICAN CITY — Peruvian President José María Balcázar said Pope Leo XIV has given him “permission” to confirm to reporters the pope’s intention to visit five cities in the country — Lima, Chiclayo, Piura, Pucallpa, and Cusco — during the first half of November.
“He has confirmed to us that he will be in Peru in the first half of November. From Lima, he will go to Chiclayo, from Chiclayo to Piura, from Piura to Pucallpa, in the jungle, and he would also visit Cusco,” he said, following a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 18.
The president noted that the team responsible for organizing papal flights will ultimately determine the route.
He also did not rule out a possible stop in Arequipa: “As [Pope Leo] will handle it, according to his team of cardinals and the way he plans everything, it’s possible that he could also be in Arequipa.”
Balcázar also said he offered the pontiff several suggestions. Among them, he proposed that after his visit to Chiclayo, he could travel by helicopter “to the Andean area of Incahuasi and Cañaris, which is a very poor, Quechua-speaking region that he knows very well.”
“We have offered him a helicopter to reach any place he wishes quickly, because he wants to cover as many small towns as possible in the north and also in the jungle and Cusco,” he told the group of journalists, among them EWTN News, waiting for him after his private audience with the Holy Father.
Balcázar shares details of his meeting with the Holy Father
The president described the meeting as “magnificent and friendly” and highlighted as a meaningful detail that he is a “congressman for Lambayeque, Chiclayo,” the city where the pope lived from 2015 to 2023.
“We have known each other before,” he explained, referring to the reason why the private audience, held in the Vatican’s Apostolic Library, lasted “almost two hours.”
Balcázar’s visit coincided with the vote count from the second round of Peru’s presidential elections. According to the president, they discussed the country’s political situation, especially the need for the transition of power after the election to be “as orderly as possible, without major conflicts, and for the loser to recognize the winner.” He added that the pope “is concerned that we are still in the middle of this vote.”
The official proclamation of the winner is expected in mid-July.
During the meeting, they also discussed the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published May 25, which focuses on issues such as artificial intelligence and human rights. “We went through his entire encyclical, which, of course, I have read, and what comes through is a powerful call to the common good,” he said.
They also spoke about migration. The pope, Balcázar explained, is “aware that there are criminals who migrate from one country to another,” but at the same time is “even more aware that we should not persecute migrants moving from one country to another, because the world has always been marked by migration everywhere, and those migrants must be given the right to life, especially, as he emphasizes, in a very important chapter on human rights.”
“Those human rights must have concrete substance, not just a lyrical declaration, but must be translated into material and objective realities,” he added.
After leaving the Apostolic Palace around 1 p.m. Rome time, the president went to the Vatican Gardens, where he stopped to pray before the image of St. Rose of Lima, enthroned in a historic ceremony presided over by the pope in January.
Vatican highlights good relations with Peru
According to the Vatican, in the subsequent meeting with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the secretary for relations with states and international organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, “satisfaction” was expressed over the good relations between the Holy See and Peru, along with a desire to strengthen them further.
They also discussed “matters of common interest, including socioeconomic developments, illegal mining activity, the promotion of the common good and dialogue, and efforts to foster social cohesion.”
Likewise, “there was an exchange of views on the regional and international sociopolitical situation, with particular attention to migration, organized crime, and the repercussions of conflicts.”
Visit still awaits official confirmation
At the beginning of June, Balcázar stated that Leo XIV would visit Peru on Nov. 10, though several months remain before the trip and the Holy See has not yet officially confirmed the final itinerary.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Federal judge says government can deposit money to seize diocesan land for border fencing
Amid a legal dispute, the federal government will be permitted to put down a six-figure deposit as it moves to acquire a large parcel of land from the Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, in order to install fencing and other security measures along the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales said in a June 15 ruling the government could deposit the $183,071, which he said would “allow for the safekeeping of funds pending resolution” of the dispute.
The order represents a blow for the Las Cruces Diocese, which since May has been fending off the government’s attempt to seize the land under eminent domain.
The government says it seeks the land, located northwest of El Paso, Texas, “to construct, install, operate, and maintain roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, cameras, sensors, and related structures designed to help secure the United States/Mexico border within the state of New Mexico.”
The diocese had sought to block the deposit of the funds amid the legal fight, but Gonzales said allowing the deposit will “not interfere with, alter, or nullify [the diocese’s] right to challenge the validity of the taking.”
The judge further argued that “transferring title [of the land] to the United States is in no way a final or irrevocable action that would deprive [the diocese] of an opportunity to contest the validity of the taking.”
The disputed land parcel runs along the base of Mount Cristo Rey. Atop of that mountain is a 29-foot-tall statue of Christ, marking a shrine the diocese said in May is the “site of annual pilgrimages” that draw thousands to the mountain.
The diocese had earlier told the government that the land seizure would “constitute a significant infringement on religious freedom and the rights of worship” given the religious significance of the site.
Pope Leo XIV declares American religious founder Mary Teresa Tallon venerable
Pope Leo XIV has declared American religious sister Mary Teresa Tallon venerable.
The pontiff signed a decree on Thursday recognizing the heroic virtue of the foundress of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate in New York. He also recognized the heroic virtue of several others, bringing them closer to sainthood.
Just before signing the decree, he met with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Mary Teresa Tallon: Making every soul count
Tallon was born on May 6, 1867, in Hanover, New York, as the daughter of Irish immigrants.
In 1887, at the age of 19, Tallon joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross, despite her family’s disapproval. She remained part of the congregation for the next 33 years, teaching in Catholic schools in South Bend, Indiana.
During this time, Tallon was inspired to establish a new congregation dedicated to contemplation and to preaching the Gospel to the neglected. In 1920, she left the Sisters of the Holy Cross and, on Aug. 15, established the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate (PVMI). She gave it the motto “Make every soul count.”
Considered a gifted scholar, Tallon authored a report documenting the first decade of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in New York for the National Catechetical Congress in 1936.
Tallon died on Feb. 10, 1954, after a prolonged illness.
In 2013, she was declared a servant of God in recognition of her holiness.
Others declared venerable
Pope Leo XIV on June 18 also moved several other servants of God along the path to sainthood.
Two Italians were declared venerable: Maria Agnese Tribbioli, a religious sister who founded the Pie Operaie di San Giuseppe congregation, and Maria Petra Giordano, a Dominican nun.
Others included Spanish nun Clara Andreu y Malferit and Belgian missionary Júlio Maria de Lombaerde.
Leo also recognized the martyrdom of Juan Torres Torres and 19 companions, all Catholic priests, for having been killed “in odium fidei” (“in hatred of the faith”) in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
Pope Leo XIV urges universities to promote peace in a divided world
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday highlighted the role of universities in an increasingly polarized world, describing them as “privileged places for dialogue.”
During a private audience at the Vatican with the board of governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on June 18, Leo said the universities can be promoters of peace at a time “often characterized by violence and pointed rhetoric.”
“While not always easy, universities must constantly work to ensure that opportunities for meaningful encounters remain available,” Leo said in his remarks. “In an atmosphere where respectful dialogue is possible, everyone can grow in knowledge through learning from the points of view and living testimonies of others, even those with whom they might disagree.”
The pope also highlighted the role of the university amid a rise in armed conflicts worldwide. Citing his message for the 59th World Day of Peace in January, Leo encouraged higher education leaders to work for peace within and beyond their academic communities, even if peace seemed impossible.
“Rather than believing peace to be impossible and beyond our reach, we must seek to promote it in our communities and to welcome and recognize it in our own lives,” Leo said. “I pray that through forming artisans of peace, the university community may continue to be a beacon of hope and unity in a world that is increasingly divided.”
Catholic priests in Democratic Republic of Congo decry rising insecurity targeting parishes
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Priests in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have raised alarm over what they describe as a worsening wave of insecurity targeting ecclesial institutions, warning that criminal activity around parishes is becoming increasingly organized and violent.
In a statement issued following a meeting of the presbyteral council, the priests expressed “deep concern” over the surge in attacks affecting priests, women and men religious, seminarians, and Church properties across the capital of the DRC.
“Once-isolated acts of delinquency are now taking the form of organized crime directed against our parishes and other structures,” the priests said in the statement they shared with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on June 15, condemning what they termed a “spiral of violence.”
They highlighted several recent incidents, including the killing of a security guard at St. Francis de Sales Parish and attacks on Church personnel at St. Agnes Parish in Ndjili and St. Théophile Parish in Kimbanseke, where a vicar was seriously injured during a nighttime assault.
According to the priests, some of the attacks are carried out by armed groups operating in uniforms resembling those of national security forces, a development they described as particularly alarming and intolerable.
“We condemn with the utmost firmness these criminal acts that violate human dignity and freedom of worship,” the priests said.
They also decried vandalism and desecration of sacred spaces, including sacristies, archives, pastoral materials, and devotional objects, warning that such acts are undermining institutions that serve society through education, healthcare, reconciliation, and social cohesion.
The bishops further expressed concern about what they described as growing indifference and a sense of impunity surrounding the attacks, calling for urgent intervention by state authorities.
They urged political, administrative, and security leaders to fully assume their constitutional responsibility to guarantee the safety of people and property, and demanded “serious and transparent investigations” to identify and prosecute both perpetrators and sponsors of the violence.
The priests also called for strengthened cooperation between security services and local leaders to better protect vulnerable Church sites.
While appealing for vigilance and unity among parish communities, the priests expressed solidarity with victims of the attacks and reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to peace-building.
“Security, justice, and peace are possible when each person responsibly fulfills their duty in service of the common good,” they said.
They prayed for divine protection over the archdiocese and for peace in the country, invoking God to comfort victims and guide national leaders toward justice and harmony.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.
‘Fidelity Month’ event explores what binds Americans together ahead of 250th anniversary
Princeton University professor and conservative intellectual Robert P. George called for a renewed commitment to America’s founding values at an event promoting “Fidelity Month,” a month dedicated to strengthening faithfulness to God, family, community, and country.
In the spring of 2023, George launched Fidelity Month, a grassroots initiative in response to a Wall Street Journal poll indicating a significant decline in religious belief, patriotism, and family values among Americans.
“I was particularly alarmed because those values — fidelity to God, fidelity to spouses and families, fidelity to country, service to communities — these have historically been the values that have provided this very pluralistic nation from the beginning with its sources of unity and strength,” George said at the June 17 event hosted by the Advancing American Freedom Foundation (AAF).
During the discussion with AAF President Tim Chapman, George attributed the decline to “a loss of faith” and failure to have gratitude for America.
“So what binds us together?” George asked. “Well, No. 1, our shared commitment to our basic constitutional principles, the principles of our civic order, the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”
“Americans across the racial spectrum, across the ideological or the ethnic spectrum, across the religious divides, have all shared a commitment to the principles of the declaration that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights,” he said. “But that has never been the whole story, and by itself, it has never been enough.”
George underscored “shared belief in the importance of fidelity to God” and “belief in the importance of marriage and family” as binding factors, noting that these values, along with patriotism, are “not a distinctively or uniquely Christian thing.”
During the month of June, George encouraged those in attendance to find simple ways to “spread the word about Fidelity Month,” whether by sharing articles on social media that promote fidelity to God, family, and country, or asking religious leaders to speak about the importance of fidelity during at least one sermon in June.
Governors in Utah and Arkansas have issued proclamations recognizing Fidelity Month, and the Michigan House and Kentucky Senate have adopted resolutions.
“Thatʼs the first time in our four years that weʼve had public officials at that level,” George said. “Weʼve had more local officials recognize Fidelity Month, but now weʼre having governors and legislatures. And next year Iʼd like to see 10 or 12 or 15 more, and then weʼll see how we go from there.”
Cardinal Ruini, John Paul II’s chief strategist in Italy, dies at age 95
Cardinal Camillo Ruini, a formidable strategist of the Church in Italy during the pontificate of St. John Paul II and a key architect of its post-Cold War engagement with politics and culture, died Tuesday in Rome.
As head of Italy’s bishops’ conference and vicar of Rome during the 1990s and the 2000s, the cardinal often took strong and influential stances on social and moral issues, giving him a reputation for helping to shape ecclesiastical and political opinion.
Personally courteous, reserved, and even shy in manner, he was also intellectually sharp, politically shrewd, and very determined on questions of principle, especially when it came to “nonnegotiable” issues such as the right to life, marriage, and the family. Any severity he would direct toward ideas rather than persons, while he remained generally polite and respectful toward opponents.
All of this made him a trusted collaborator of John Paul II — and later of Benedict XVI — as he dedicated himself to keeping the Catholic Church in Italy relevant at a time when secularism was increasingly taking hold of the nation’s politics and society.
His skills and tact became most evident in 2004 when he urged Italian Catholics to boycott advocating the liberalization of Italy’s legal restrictions on in vitro fertilization (IVF). The referendum the following year failed due to low turnout and while secularists accused Ruini of having overstepped the mark for a churchman, others praised his strategy and his determination to speak out. Some affectionately awarded him the nickname “Rovini,” meaning the “ruiner” of secularists’ plans.
A year later, the cardinal drew the ire of the “gay lobby” when he warned that giving full legal recognition to unmarried couples would represent an “eclipsing of the nature and value of a family and a very grave harm to the Italian people.” In 2007, he was the key promoter and inspirer of a large Family Day rally in Rome, intended to block civil-unions legislation being pushed by the government of Romano Prodi. He also spoke out on several high-profile “end-of-life” cases, always in defense of the sanctity of human life.
Also known for his views on the relationship between faith and politics, Ruini frequently addressed issues such as secularism, a “healthy secularity” regarding Islam, and what he perceived as the “naturalistic tendency of modern man,” which he considered a significant threat to religious faith.
In Italy he was especially noted for being the architect and longtime president of the Church’s “cultural project,” formed in the aftermath of the collapse of the Christian Democracy era that had dominated postwar Italian politics. The project sought to shift Catholic influence from party politics to the deeper work of shaping national culture and public debate.
Evangelizing mission
Both the cardinal and St. John Paul II worked well together, giving renewed coherence to the Church’s evangelizing mission and devising a framework in connection with John Paul II’s encyclicals. But his positions also drew opposition within the Church, especially from allies of Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a former archbishop of Milan, who believed he was abandoning the “spirit of the Council.”
“Cardinal Ruini deserves recognition for having steered the ship through the storm, for having shared John Paul II’s vision and for having fought to implement it in our country,” wrote Italian commentator Professor Stefano Fontana in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana on June 17.
Born in Sassuolo in the province of Modena on Feb. 19, 1931, Camillo Ruini was the son of a local doctor who, during his schooling and in late adolescence, discerned a vocation to the priesthood. At 18 he entered seminary, later continuing his studies in philosophy and theology in Reggio Emilia and then at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Ordained a priest on Dec. 8, 1954, Ruini returned three years later to his native Reggio Emilia, where for nearly two decades he formed young clergy as a philosophy lecturer in the diocesan seminary before becoming a widely respected professor and then head of inter‑diocesan and academic theology institutes in Modena and Bologna. Alongside this teaching he threw himself into lay apostolates, serving as chaplain to Catholic university graduates, diocesan delegate for Catholic Action, and president of the John XXIII Cultural Centre — work that honed the intellectual and pastoral instincts he later brought to the national stage.
Appointed auxiliary bishop of Reggio Emilia‑Guastalla in 1983, he soon emerged as a key organizer of the 1985 Loreto ecclesial convention, a landmark attempt to reset relations between the Church and Italian society after the political and ecclesial upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1985 he joined the bishops’ commission for Catholic education, culture, and schools.
John Paul II elevated him to the cardinalate in 1991, after which he entered the decisive phase of his episcopal career as president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (1991–2007) and vicar of Rome (1991–2008). A member of several Vatican dicasteries and the author of numerous essays and research works, he also served as grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University. He played a significant role in the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict XVI, and from 2010 to 2014, at the request of Pope Benedict, he served as president of the International Commission of Inquiry on Medjugorje. He also headed the academic committee of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.
He praised John Paul II and Benedict XVI but was less at ease during the pontificate of Pope Francis. His criticisms, he suggested, stemmed not from conservatism but from concern that some of the faithful might struggle to understand Francis’ direction of the Church. Upon the pontiff’s death in April 2025, Ruini set out four conditions that, in his view, the new pope should possess: sound doctrine, capacity for governance, a spirit of communion, and the strengthening of the faith. Many observers saw in these criteria an implicit critique of the pontificate just ended.
Final interview
The cardinal continued to speak out publicly up until his final days. In one of his last interviews given to Corriere della Sera to coincide with his 95th birthday in February, Ruini said he disapproved of Benedict XVI’s resignation, praised Francis for his “great courage” but faulted him for “taking too little account of tradition,” and said his first impression of Leo XIV was excellent.
He had a negative opinion of President Trump, saying he had “upset American and world politics,” which were “going in a very questionable direction.” He was also not supportive of restoring the Traditional Latin Mass, saying: “It’s very important for people to understand the language in which they celebrate.”
The cardinal died after suffering from a heart condition in his later years, but he endured his final months with serenity. He spoke and wrote often about death, reported Corriere della Sera, accepting his approaching end with “detachment and even cheerfulness,” and continued to celebrate Mass until shortly before his passing.
In his tribute to the late cardinal published June 17, Pope Leo XIV said the news of his death had awakened in his heart “deep feelings of closeness, together with gratitude to the Lord for the gift of this esteemed man of the Church, who lived his ministry generously.” He recalled the cardinal’s legacy to the Italian Church, remembering him as an “experienced and wise brother, strengthened by deep faith, sharp intelligence, and farsighted vision,” and who “served the Gospel and the Church with discretion and self‑sacrifice.”
Similar heartfelt tributes were received from the ecclesial and political world: John Paul II’s former personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, said Ruini “always sought the good of the Church, with clarity of faith, loyalty to the magisterium, and a deep sense of duty and pastoral responsibility.” He expressed his gratitude for Ruini’s collaboration with John Paul II at “decisive moments” in the life of the Church.
The current Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, gave thanks for Ruini’s “long and fruitful Christian life and for his service to the Church,” and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, said the cardinal helped the Church in Italy to “think, discern, speak, and walk in its own time.”
Ruini’s episcopal motto — “Veritas liberabit nos” (“The truth sets us free”) — “remains a summons for all,” he said. Italy’s premier, Giorgia Meloni, described him as a “great man of the Church,” while Prodi recalled a “profound connection” with Ruini, who, as a young man in Reggio Emilia, guided him and other youth in the diocese.
Elisabetta Valgiusti, a Roman citizen who knew Ruini personally, praised him for being a “leading figure in the life of the Catholic Church at every level and in public debate more broadly.” She especially lauded him for his understanding of culture, which she said he saw as a “meeting ground between the Church’s own mission and the nation’s most urgent needs.”
Valgiusti, an EWTN documentary filmmaker who founded Save the Monasteries to help Christian communities through cultural and communication projects, told the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, that she remembered her conversations with him “with gratitude and respect,” especially during the pandemic period.
“We will miss his strong and upright voice, and also his piercing gaze,” she said.
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the funeral for Ruini at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday afternoon, June 18, together with cardinals, archbishops, and bishops.
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted and updated by EWTN News.