Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a "
great friend
" of the Pope, who inspired him to choose the name Francis, died Monday, July 4 at the age of 87, announced the Archbishop of Sao Paulo.
"
It is with great pain that I announce the death of Cardinal Claudio Hummes, (...) on this day, following a long illness
", announced Archbishop Odilo Scherer in a press release.
The funeral vigil will take place in the cathedral of Sao Paulo, on an as yet unspecified date.
“He comforted me”
In March 2013, shortly after his election, the pope explained during a meeting with journalists how Cardinal Claudio Hummes had inspired him in choosing the name Francis.
The Brazilian was then tipped as one of the favorites to succeed Benoit XVI.
“
During the election, I was next to the Archbishop of Sao Paulo Claudio Hummes, a great friend (…) When things got dangerous, he comforted me.
When the votes (in my favour, editor's note) reached two-thirds, he hugged and kissed me and said:
“
And don't forget the poor!
”,” the pope had revealed.
"
Immediately, in relation to the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi, of the wars (...) the man of poverty, the
Read alsoPope Francis bans the “Latin Mass”
Born in Salvador do Sul, a small town in southern Brazil, Cardinal Hummes was ordained a priest in 1958, then a bishop in 1975. Cardinal since 2001, he had notably been prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican, with Benedict XVI .
In September 2019, Cardinal Claudio Hummes played a leading role during the synod on the Amazon, of which he was the rapporteur.
This synod took place at a particularly tense moment in Brazil, with many criticisms from the international community towards the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, in the face of the resurgence of forest fires in the Amazon.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
