Belgian Cardinal Jan Schotte Dies

VATICAN CITY — Belgian Cardinal Jan Schotte, who served the Holy See for more than three decades, died in Rome Jan. 10 at the age of 76. The Vatican did not give a cause of death.

In a telegram of condolence to a member of the late cardinal's family, Pope John Paul II said Cardinal Schotte left his mark as an example of someone who lived his life for Christ, dedicated to his priestly and religious vocation.

The late cardinal addressed social issues "in full faithfulness to the Gospel and church teachings," the pope said in his written message released Jan. 11 by the Vatican.

Pope John Paul was scheduled to preside and deliver the homily at the cardinal's Jan. 14 funeral Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Cardinal Schotte was a great friend of Christendom College in Front Royal. In April of 1995, he dedicated Christendom's Chapel of Christ the King, bringing with him a chalice and paten as gifts from the Holy Father. He presided over the college's 25th anniversary celebrations in 2002.

Cardinal Schotte died while still holding several Vatican posts, including president of the Vatican's labor office, which is responsible for overseeing the city-state's work force.

He was best remembered as secretary-general of the Vatican-based Synod of Bishops from 1985 to 2004, when he retired from the position because of his age.

During his 19-year tenure, Cardinal Schotte coordinated more than 10 major synods on such topics as religious life, the priesthood and the role of the laity. Some were regional synods that examined church life and evangelization strategies on every continent.

Cardinal Schotte sought to keep synodal proceedings confidential and out of the public eye, drawing criticism from journalists and some of the participants for being too secretive. But the cardinal said the closed-door meetings helped protect the bishops' freedom to speak their minds on sensitive subjects and to protect the pope from public pressure.

He also strongly defended the limits on the synodal process and its function as a strictly consultative instrument for the pope and not a deliberative body.

Cardinal Schotte served as a special attache for the Secretariat of State under three pontificates, starting with Pope Paul VI in 1972. He served on several Vatican commissions and councils, and was secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 1980-83.

The late cardinal had been close to the current pope, accompanying him on numerous papal journeys over the years. He served on the Holy See's delegations to various international meetings throughout the '70s and '80s.

Born in Beveren-Leie, Belgium, he was ordained a priest in 1952. He then furthered his studies in canon law at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and at The Catholic University of America in Washington.

After serving as rector of the Immaculate Heart mission seminary in Washington and professor at various religious institutes in Belgium, the late cardinal arrived in Rome in 1967 to head his order, the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Cardinal Schotte's death leaves the College of Cardinals with 184 members. Of those, 120 are under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a papal conclave.

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