Holy Land Remembers Cardinal Martini
The funeral of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini will be on Monday, September 3 at 16:00 in the Cathedral of Milan. The Cardinal chose to spend his retirement in Jerusalem from 2002 to 2008 and is well remembered in the Holy Land “The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem unites its prayers with the faithful of Milan.
His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal expressed his condolences and prayers in a telegram. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem honors the memory of Cardinal Martini. In 2002, the Cardinal reached retirement age and was a frequent visitor to the Holy City where he chose to spend a few years (until 2008) at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was to him the city of his spiritual roots and life commitment in the hope of the kingdom of God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Patriarch Twal recalls that “the Cardinal had chosen a quiet life without interfering in the affairs and life of the diocese.” The Patriarch emphasized the wisdom of the Cardinal ”that despite his world renowned reputation, he avoided touching the political aspects of the Holy Land, preferring to devote his time to prayer, spiritual retreats and studies of biblical exegesis.” The Patriarch acknowledged that “his presence was a great spiritual treasure for Christians of the Holy Land.”
Many priests remember his love for the Word of God that he shared especially during retreat for priests of the Patriarchate on “Lectio Divina.”
Personally, Patriarch Twal who was then Coadjutor remembers that at every meeting at the Nunciature or the Patriarchate, the Cardinal always had a “fraternal expression and gaze, with a clear understanding of (his) mission. ” The Cardinal is also remembered for his spirit of disciplined and organized program of life and by his generosity.” His retirement time and publication copyrights were donated especially donated to the Christians of the Holy Land.
“ Our way of thanking him,” says the Patriarch, “is to remember him in our prayers. From his place in heaven, we ask him to pray for the Holy Land that he loved so much.” Cardinal Martini, a Jesuit, was rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome before becoming Archbishop of Milan in 1979, became a Cardinal in 1983. Upon retirement in 2002, he moved to Jerusalem and published “Towards Jerusalem.” He devoted his time to study and prayer and wrote extensively on the relations between Christianity and Judaism, and about the significance of Jerusalem for Christians.
Christophe Lafontaine