Pope says late Mexico City cardinal served with love, dedication

Published: 2008-04-11

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Ernesto Corripio Ahumada, retired archbishop of Mexico City, served the church with great love and dedication, said Pope Benedict XVI as he offered his condolences on the cardinal's April 10 death. Cardinal Corripio, 88, suffered from diabetes, which forced him to undergo the amputation of his right leg three years ago. In a telegram to Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City, Pope Benedict said Cardinal Corripio had lived through his long illness "with great serenity." The pope said the cardinal had given "witness to his great love for God and the church, as well as his great dedication to the cause of the Gospel." Cardinal Corripio's death leaves the College of Cardinals with 196 members, 119 of whom are under the age of 80 and, therefore, eligible to vote in a conclave.

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