French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray dies aged 96

French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, a frequent collaborator of Pope St. John Paul II, has died at 96.

Etchagaray, from the French Basque region, was born in Espelette on September 25, 1922.

He was ordained a priest in 1947 and incardinated in the Diocese of Bayonne. In 1979, Pope St. John Paul II named him a cardinal.

In April 1984 Pope John Paul II named him the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the president of the pontifical council Cor Unum, he retained this second post until 1995.

In 1994 he was taken with overseeing the Church’s observance of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

He served often as de facto “ambassador” of John Paul II in delicate diplomatic missions: in 2003 he worked on behalf of the pope to avoid the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that began the Second Gulf War.

On April 30, 2005, Benedict XVI approved his election as Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals.

In January 2017, he left the Vatican to return to his native Diocese of Bayonne.

After the death of Cardinal Pimiento Rodriguez, which occurred yesterday, he was, briefly, become the oldest living cardinal.

Via CNA