Pope remembers Cardinal Noe’s diligent work

Vatican City, Jul 26, 2011 / 10:59 am

Cardinal Virgilio Noe, archpriest emeritus of the Vatican Basilica, former vicar general for Vatican City, and president of the Fabric of St. Peter, died on July 24 at the age of 89.

Pope Benedict XVI sent a telegram of condolence to the cardinal’s sister, Maria Noe, mourning the man.

“In everything he did he provided highly-valued testimony of fervent priestly zeal and faithfulness to the Gospel,” the Pope wrote.

He called the cardinal “a diligent collaborator of the Holy See, particularly in the Office of Liturgical Celebrations.”

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided at a funeral Mass for Cardinal Noe at the altar of the Cathedra in the St. Peter’s Basilica on July 26.

A number of cardinals, archbishops and bishops concelebrated the Mass.

Cardinal Noe formerly headed the Fabric of St. Peter, the office which oversees the physical upkeep of St. Peter’s Basilica. The office also cares for the Vatican’s artistic treasures.

He was named master of pontifical ceremonies under Pope Paul VI in 1970. Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal in 1991.

Cardinal Noe was born on March 30, 1922 in Zelata di Bereguardo in the Diocese of Pavia in Lombardy. He was ordained a priest on October 11, 1944 and created a youth movement centered especially on participation in the liturgy, according to his official Vatican biography.

He also taught ecclesiastical history, patristics, liturgy, and the history of the arts in the seminaries of Pavia and Tortona.

He later served as a leading official in the Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship.