Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo, retired camerlengo, dies at 94

Aug 13, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus
Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo (pic), a former camerlengo of the Catholic Church, died at his home in Rome on Aug 10.

The 94-year-old Martínez suffered a heart attack last month. He had a history of cardiovascular disease and had undergone a triple bypass surgery in 2003.

Originally from the Rioja province of Spain, Martínez managed the administration of the Holy See as camerlengo between the death of St Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. His duties also included overseeing the preparations for the papal conclave.

The cardinal had a long career in the Roman Curia under the papacy of John Paul II, whom he joined on his many trips in Italy and abroad. St Pope John Paul II made Martínez a cardinal in June 1988, after which he served as sostituto, or the second-in-command, in the Secretariat of State for nine years.

Martínez was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments from 1988 to 1992, before being named camerlengo, a position he held from 1993 to 2007. The cardinal resigned as camerlengo on his 80th birthday, March 31, 2007.

As a cardinal, he presided over two assemblies of the Synod of Bishops as president delegate: the first special assembly for Europe of 1991 and the ninth general assembly on consecrated life on 1994. --CNA