VATICAN - Message of condolence from the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Cardinal Filoni, for the death of Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly

Friday, 11 April 2014

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On April 10, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, sent the following message of condolence to His Beatitude Raphael Louis Sako I, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans.
"His Beatitude, upon receiving the news of the pious death of His Most Eminent Beatitude Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch emeritus of Babylon of the Chaldeans, I join you in prayer, affection and regret that cross the hearts of the faithful of the noble Chaldean Church. To You, to the Bishops, Priests, Religious men and women, and all the faithful, I offer my condolences.
I recall all the moments I lived with him in my five years in Baghdad, and in the following years here in Rome, where my spiritual and human relations with Patriarch Delly continued until recently. I remember the human and fraternal manner he welcomed me every time we met, the closeness and tribulations for the beloved Country Iraq, the concerns for our Christians, hopes for the Chaldean Church.
Heedless of the danger, he wanted to remain in Baghdad, with his faithful, always: as a priest of God, as Bishop of the Diocese of Baghdad, as Patriarch. Exemplary in his human dignity and ecclesial life. Our Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as head of the Pontifical Urban College, remembers him with esteem and I pray that the Lord whom he served with fidelity will grant him eternal rest.
Dear Beatitude, the consoling words of Jesus that Patriarch Delly listened to in his encounter with the Lord: "Come, good and faithful servant, enter into the house of thy Lord", are for all of us consolation and support. I am sure that now he will be even closer to his/our Chaldean Church and will intercede for its own good, for the Sanctification of Priests, Religious men and women, and for the protection of all Christians. A special thank you goes to You and to all those who took care of him, especially in these last years of his life.
Prefect, Cardinal Fernando Filoni". (Agenzia Fides 11/04/2014)


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