Statement on the Death of Pope John Paul I

It was with deep sadness that I learned of the sudden death of Pope John Paul I. In the brief weeks of his reign, Pope John Paul captured the imagination of his Church and of the world. He held out the promise of combining his predecessors' finest qualities, reaffirming what is enduring and strong in the Catholic tradition, while expanding the frontiers of the Church to cope with the needs of the modern world. The warmth of his personality and his understanding of the lives of ordinary people were evident to all. We are all made poorer by his death.