Cardinal Camillo Ruini, one of the most influential figures in the Italian Church of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, has died in Rome at the age of 95.
The former Cardinal Vicar of Rome and president of the Italian bishops’ conference died on the evening of June 16. He had been hospitalised last September with kidney problems and, after a period of recovery, saw his condition deteriorate in recent weeks. He chose to remain at home under medical care.
Born in Sassuolo in 1931, Ruini served as Cardinal Ruini served as cardinal vicar of Rome from 1991 to 2008 and led the Italian bishops’ conference from 1991 to 2007. He was a close collaborator of Pope St John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and was widely regarded as one of the leading voices of Italy’s conservative episcopate.
