Pope recalls deceased Kosovar president in telegram from Vatican

Published: 2006-01-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI recalled the service of Kosovo's recently deceased president in a papal telegram signed by the Vatican secretary of state. Ibrahim Rugova, who served as president since 2002, died Jan. 21 from lung cancer. He was 61. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, expressed the pope's condolences for Rugova's death in a telegram sent to the apostolic administrator of Prizren, Archbishop Zef Gashi of Bar, Serbia and Montenegro. Kosovo remains a disputed territory in Serbia. In a copy of the papal telegram released by the Vatican Jan. 24, Cardinal Sodano wrote that Pope Benedict recalled "the solid civic virtues that inspired" Rugova's life "and his generous service to his fellow citizens." Rugova, who was sometimes called "the Gandhi of the Balkans," sought to oppose Serbia's rule over Kosovo through nonviolent, peaceful means.

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