Pope Leo sends condolences on the death of longtime Church diplomat and cardinal from Sicily

Pope Leo XIV sent a message of condolence Monday on the death of Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop emeritus of Palermo, who died Oct. 25 in Catania, Sicily, at the age of 88.

The pontiff said the cardinal “served the Gospel and the Church generously,” and recalled “with gratitude his dedicated ministry, first as a priest of the Diocese of Acireale, then in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, especially as pontifical representative in Haiti, Colombia, Canada, Italy, and the Republic of San Marino, and finally as the devoted archbishop of Palermo.”

Romeo was born in Acireale, Sicily, on Feb. 20, 1938. After studying theology and canon law in Rome, he was ordained a priest in Acireale on March 18, 1961.

He later attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1967 and working in the pontifical representations in the Philippines, Belgium and Luxembourg, to the European Communities, Venezuela, Rwanda, and Burundi.

In 1976, he was transferred to the Secretariat of State, where he was responsible for Latin America and the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM).

On Dec. 17, 1983, he was elected titular archbishop of…