The following is the telegram of condolence from the Holy Father to Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of the archdiocese of Caracas and archbishop of Merida, Venezuela, on the death yesterday, September 23, 2021, of His Eminence Cardinal Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, metropolitan archbishop emeritus of Caracas, Venezuela, of the Title of Santa Maria ai Monti:
Telegram of the Holy Father
HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL BALTAZAR ENRIQUE PORRAS CARDOZO
ARCHBISHOP OF MERIDA
APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CARACAS
UPON RECEIVING THE NEWS OF THE DEATH OF CARDINAL JORGE LIBERATO UROSA SAVINO, ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF CARACAS, I EXPRESS TO YOUR EMINENCE MY FEELINGS OF SORROW, ASKING YOU TO KINDLY CONVEY THEM ALSO TO THE RELATIVES OF THE DECEASED PRELATE AND TO ALL THOSE WHO FORM PART OF THIS ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY.
LIKEWISE, REMEMBERING THIS DEVOTED PASTOR WHO, FOR YEARS AND WITH FIDELITY, GAVE HIS LIFE TO THE SERVICE OF GOD AND THE CHURCH, I ASSURE MY PRAYERS FOR THE ETERNAL REPOSE OF HIS SOUL, SO THAT THE LORD JESUS MAY GRANT HIM THE CROWN OF GLORY THAT DOES NOT FADE, AND I IMPART TO ALL THE APOSTOLIC BLESSING, AS A SIGN OF CHRISTIAN HOPE IN THE RISEN LORD.
About the Cardinal
Cardinal Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Caracas (Venezuela), was born on 28 August 1942 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was ordained a priest on 15 August 1967 and holds a doctorate in theology.
Cardinal Urosa Savino served as vice-rector and as rector of the San Jose Seminary of El Hatillo and as rector of the interdiocesan seminary of Caracas, where he was also professor of philosophical anthropology. He was also president of the Organization of Venezuelan Seminaries and vice-president of the Organization of Latin American Seminaries.
On 13 July 1982 he was appointed titular Bishop of Vegesela in Byzacena and Auxiliary of the archdiocese of Caracas, where he also served as vicar general of the central zone.
On 17 March 1990 he was appointed Archbishop of Valencia, Venezuela.
Within the Bishops’ Conference, he was appointed as the country’s delegate to the Synod for America (1997) and was president of the Episcopal Commission of Social Pastoral Service.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Urosa Savino as Archbishop of Caracas on 19 September 2005.
He participated in the XIV Ordinary General Assembly on The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World (October 2015).
He was a Member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
He participated in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.
