Cardinal Angelo Amato, the former prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints who oversaw numerous significant canonizations including that of Mother Teresa, died Dec. 31. He was 86.
A member of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Amato served the Holy See in key positions spanning four decades.
In a telegram announcing his death, Pope Francis on Wednesday praised the “edifying witness of this spiritual son of St. John Bosco who for many years spent himself with human refinement and generosity for the Gospel and the Church.”
The pope’s message, sent to Father Stefano Martoglio, vicar of the Rector Major of the Salesians, highlighted Amato’s “priestly spirit and theological preparation” through which he served the Holy See, particularly in the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica, with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as the main celebrant. Pope Francis will preside over the final commendation and farewell.
Born in Molfetta, Italy, on June 8, 1938, Amato made his first religious profession in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1967.
His scholarly path led him to roles in theological education, including positions at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Salesian University, where he served as dean. His academic journey included time in Greece, where he conducted research on Orthodox theology.
Pope John Paul II appointed him secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2002, and Pope Benedict XVI later named him prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 2008. Benedict created him a cardinal in 2010.
“Faithful to his motto ‘Sufficit gratia mea,’ [‘my grace is sufficient’] even in recent times marked by suffering, he abandoned himself to the goodness of the Heavenly Father,” Pope Francis noted in his message.
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
