Dean: Cardinal Tomko Was Person of Firm Faith and True Spirituality

Dean: Cardinal Tomko Was Person of Firm Faith and True Spirituality

Vatican, August 11 (TASR) – With Cardinal Jozef Tomko’s passing, we’ve lost a person of firm faith, true spirituality and a lively religious feeling, said Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, at the final farewell for the late Slovak cardinal held in the Vatican on Thursday, at which the final ceremony was led by Pope Francis.

Addressing the congregation during a requiem mass held in St. Peter’s Basilica, the dean noted that Tomko, who died on August 8 at the age of 98, was the oldest of the cardinals and that he dedicated his entire long and intensive life to the service of God and his brothers in the Roman Curia, where he held many posts over the years.

The ceremony in the Vatican was also attended by a delegation of Slovak bishops led by Archbishop of Bratislava Stanislav Zvolensky and Kosice Metropolitan Archbishop Bernard Bober.

Following the final farewell in Rome, the cardinal’s remains will be transported by plane to Bratislava. They will be displayed for public veneration in St. Martin’s Cathedral in the Slovak capital on Friday and Saturday (August 12 and 13) and in St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral in Kosice on Sunday and Monday (August 14 and 15). A holy mass including the funeral will take place on Tuesday (August 16). The mass will be led by Czech Archbishop emeritus, Cardinal Dominik Duka.

Cardinal emeritus Jozef Tomko, who was the oldest member of the College of Cardinals and the only Slovak cardinal, died in Rome on August 8 at the age of 98.