From Joseph Bottom at First Things:
"Word has reached us that Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., died here in New York early this morning.
Created cardinal for his theological work by John Paul II, Avery Dulles was one of the great figures of the twentieth century: a theologian, an intellectual, a teacher, a writer, a lecturer, and a kind and gentle man.
In his long life, he wrote more than 700 articles and twenty-two books, and it is hard to imagine how anyone today can fill the roles he played in the Catholic world and American public life. As the disease that took his life progressed, his final months were a trial that took away his powers to speak, write, and move. But he seemed, in those months, to live even more serenely, more spiritually, and more beautifully. May God welcome him home."
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord; and may Your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace
(cross-posted on Southern Appeal and Return to Rome)
Comments (1)
Very sad news. He had a saintly capacity to endure the worst disruptions impacting his Church and Order and act as a warm mediator amid all the rancor. I can't imagine life in New York, or at his beloved Fordham ever being quite the same without him.
Posted by Kevin | December 12, 2008 2:18 PM