Cardinal Camillo Ruini died at 95 in his Rome residence after choosing not to be hospitalised, assisted by his long-time aide and medical staff.
Pope Leo XIV will preside over the funeral on 18 June in St. Peter’s; a second service follows on 19 June in Reggio Emilia, with burial in Dinazzano.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, former premier Romano Prodi, and the Italian bishops’ conference praised Ruini’s intelligence, service, and lasting influence.
He led the CEI for 16 years, championed traditional values, fought the Welby and Englaro right-to-die cases, and gave the Italian church a prominent public voice.
Camillo Ruini, the former president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) and Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, died on Tuesday evening at his home in Rome. He was 95. In his final weeks, aware that his condition was critical and requiring constant oxygen, he chose to remain at home rather than be hospitalised, cared for by his long-time assistant Pierina and a medical team. Those who saw him in his last days found his mind still sharp, but physical decline signaled the end.
“expert and wise brother, supported by deep faith, sharp intelligence and farsighted vision, who served the Gospel and the Church with discretion and self-denial”
The Pope will preside over the funeral on Thursday 18 June at 4:30 pm at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica. The wake opened on Wednesday at noon in the Chapel of the Madonna della Perseveranza at the Pontifical Minor Roman Seminary. After the Vatican service, the coffin will travel to the cardinal’s home diocese, where Archbishop Giacomo Morandi will lead a second celebration at Reggio Emilia Cathedral on Friday 19 June. The burial will then take place in the family tomb in Dinazzano cemetery.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude for the life of "this esteemed man of the Church" in a telegram to the diocese of Rome. The presidency of the Italian bishops’ conference, led by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, visited the wake and praised Ruini’s "lively intelligence, pastoral vigour and profound dedication".
“One of the most lucid minds in Italian society. I am honoured to have known him and to have enjoyed an affectionate bond of friendship.”
Former prime minister Romano Prodi, who knew Ruini from his youth in Reggio Emilia, recalled that the future cardinal officiated at his wedding and spoke of a friendship that he never felt had broken. Foreign minister Antonio Tajani called Ruini a "precious interlocutor of politics" and a "great Italian".
Born in Sassuolo on 19 February 1931, Ruini was ordained a priest in 1954 and earned degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He became a bishop in 1983, was named secretary general of the CEI in 1986 and its president in 1991, a role he held until 2007 while also serving as Vicar General for the pope in Rome until 2008. Created a cardinal by John Paul II, he was a leading conservative voice, known for battles over bioethics and for the term "ruinismo" that entered the Treccani encyclopaedia. He remained a reference point for the Italian church and was remembered by personal chef Renato Dussin as a man of simple tastes who turned every meal into a chance for dialogue.
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Cardinal Camillo Ruini, former president of the Italian bishops and vicar of Rome under John Paul II, has died at his home at the age of 95. Pope Leo XIV will celebrate his funeral at St. Peter’s on Thursday, with a second service in his native Reggio Emilia on Friday.
AI text based on reports by ANSA.it and Corriere della Sera. Changed .