Pope praises Canadian cardinal, who died at 94, as a dedicated pastor

Published: 2006-10-02

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI praised the late Canadian Cardinal Louis-Albert Vachon of Quebec as a dedicated pastor who spent his life helping Christians grow in faith and in their missionary commitment. Cardinal Vachon died Sept. 29 in Quebec at the age of 94. His funeral was to be celebrated Oct. 5 in Quebec's Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica. In a Sept. 30 telegram of condolence to Cardinal Vachon's family and the faithful of Quebec, Pope Benedict described the late cardinal as a "man of faith and culture, who sought throughout his ministry to strengthen the quality of the Christian life of the people entrusted to his care and to increase their missionary spirit." Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Quebec in 1938, he was named an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese in 1977 and archbishop in 1981. Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals in 1985 and accepted his resignation as archbishop of Quebec in 1990, when the cardinal was 78.

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