Farewells

Cardinal Camillo Ruini has died

He served as vicar from 1991 to 2008 and as president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference

16 June 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The Cardinal Camillo Ruini passed away on the evening of 16 June in Rome. He served as Vicar from 1991 to 2008 and as President of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

Ruini had been admitted to hospital last September with kidney problems but had subsequently recovered. His condition worsened on 21 May and he decided to stay at home, where doctors and nurses took turns to look after him, including providing him with oxygen.

Originally from Sassuolo, he turned 95 on 19 February.

In a statement of condolence, the Diocese of Rome pays tribute to the cardinal, highlighting his role as a key architect of relations between the State and the Church. ‘His leadership left a profound mark, reflecting his intelligence in interpreting the presence of Christians in the city, whilst also fulfilling his responsibilities as President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference,’ recalls the Diocese, also highlighting his ability to interpret Italia’s social and political landscape: ‘Shrewd in discerning the country’s turning points, he considered it fundamental to guide cultural transitions with the Catholic pride of being the custodians of a heritage of values not to be concealed, but to be safeguarded and defended, fulfilling his episcopal motto *Veritas liberabit nos*’.

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Ruini was a leading figure within the conservative episcopate. A native of Romagna and a staunch advocate of the Church’s stance on non-negotiable values, from abortion to euthanasia (he refused to grant Welby a funeral and waged a relentless battle over the case of Eluana Englaro), was initially very close to John Paul II, but later, above all, to Benedict XVI; he was also regarded as a ‘grey eminence’ in politics, and his close ties to former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi were well known.

Il cardinale Camillo Ruini, una figura chiave della Chiesa italiana
Photogallery21 foto

He served as Cardinal Vicar for the Diocese of Rome and Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St John Lateran from 1 July 1991 to 27 June 2008, as President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference from 7 March 1991 until the same date in 2007, and as President of the Lazio Episcopal Conference. He also held the office of President of the International Commission of Inquiry into Međugorje, of the Italian Church’s cultural project and, from 2010 to 2015, of the Scientific Committee of the Vatican’s Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI Foundation.

He had recently shared a warm exchange with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a Mass in honour of John Paul II at St Peter’s Basilica, so much so that in an interview with *Corriere della Sera* to mark his 95th birthday, he stated: ‘My opinion of Giorgia Meloni is decidedly positive in both respects, both politically and personally.’

Zuppi: ‘Ruini served the Church with intelligence and passion’

“We gather in prayer and entrust Cardinal Camillo Ruini, whom the Lord has called to Himself, to the Father’s mercy. We remember him with gratitude for the life he devoted to the service of the Gospel, the Church of Rome and the Italian Episcopal Conference. As President of the CEI and Vicar of the Pope for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Ruini served the Church with intelligence, pastoral passion and a profound sense of the Church’s mission.” So reads a statement from the Italian Episcopal Conference, expressing the condolences of its President, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. “He carried out his ministry,” says Zuppi, “with the awareness that faith is never detached from history. The Christian message, he always maintained, must engage with the real questions of humanity, society and culture. Through this commitment, he helped the Church in Italia to think, discern, speak and move forward in its own time, whilst preserving a living bond with the Successor of Peter and with the universal Church.” “His episcopal motto, ‘Veritas liberabit nos’, remains a call,” adds Zuppi, “for everyone: to seek the truth that is Christ, because only it sets us free and enables us to love. That truth is not an abstract idea, but the face of the Lord who illuminates life, sustains hope, opens the way to communion and calls us to serve every person, especially when history becomes more difficult and uncertain.” “We extend our affectionate condolences to his family, to the Diocese of Rome and to all those who knew him,” the statement concludes, “who held him in high esteem and followed him throughout his long ministry. May the Risen Lord welcome him into his peace.”