Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi honors late Cardinal Camillo Ruini

Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), paid tribute to the late Cardinal Camillo Ruini during the opening of the permanent episcopal council on Monday, September 21.

Zuppi expressed gratitude for Ruini’s long service to the Conference, both as Secretary General and as President. He noted that Ruini focused on the Church’s presence in the world, seeking to prevent faith from being confined to private experience amidst the weakening of Italy’s cultural identity and the marginalization of Christianity.

Zuppi emphasized the need for the Church to engage with contemporary questions to produce Christian culture and humanism. He also called for social proximity to be expressed through culture, law, and political and economic choices, echoing the Pope’s responsibilities for Europe regarding the protection and integration of people.