Argentinean Cardinal Jorge María Mejía, archivist and librarian of the Vatican Secret Archives, died today at 91, the Vatican said. Pope Francis expressed his «heartfelt condolences» for the passing of whom he described as a «friend.»
The funeral will be held on Thursday, on the altar of St. Peter Cathedral. Francis will attend the ceremony, which will be presided by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano.
In a telegramme addressed to the Cardinal’s brother, Alejandro Jaime Mejìa, the Pope wrote: » I wish to convey to you my most heartfelt condolences. I assure you of my prayers of suffrage for him, to whom I was bound by a long-standing friendship, so that the Lord may concede peace to he who gave of himself in such a generous way to the Church.»
The Cardinal’s health condition has been deteriorating since last year, when he suffered a heart attack a couple of days after Pope Francis was elected.
Born in Buenos Aires on January 31, 1923, Sodano was ordained in 1945. Pope John Paul II made him Chaplain of His Holiness on September 20, 1978.
He was appointed cardinal on February 21, 2001.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald