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Catholic World News News Feature

Belgian Cardinal Schotte dead at 77 January 11, 2005

Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, CICM, the former secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, died in Rome on January 10 at the age of 77.

The Belgian prelate, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1959 for the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, had intended to be a missionary in China. But when the Communist regime there barred the entry of Catholic priests, he followed the orders of his religious superiors by remaining in Rome in an administrative post. He then worked in the Vatican Secretary of State from 1972 to 1980, and later as secretary to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 1980 to 1983, and vice-president of the same body from 1983 to 1985. He was named by Pope John Paul II to head the office of the Synod of Bishop in 1985, and remained in that post until his retirement in February 2004. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul in November 1994. During his years of Vatican service, Cardinal Schotte was frequently asked to undertake difficult diplomatic missions, notably in China. Because of his facility with languages, he accompanied Pope John Paul II on 20 foreign trips, and was often a member of Vatican delegations to various international meetings. Within the Roman Curia, he had a reputation as a relative conservative prelate, and one who would frequently speak his mind even at the cost of attracting criticism.

In a statement released upon the death of the Belgian cardinal, the Pope praised him for his "industrious collaboration with the Holy See, and especially his generous service as secretary general of the Synod of Bishops."

Pope John Paul II will preside at the funeral for Cardinal Schotte in St. Peter's Basilica on January 14. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, acting in his capacity as dean of the College of Cardinals, will be the principal celebrant.

With the death of Cardinal Schotte, there are now 120 members of the College of Cardinals who are eligible to vote in a papal election. Thus for the first time since October 2003, the number of eligible electors is down to the maximum set by Pope Paul VI in his apostolic constitution Romani Pontifici Eligendo of October 1975. Pope John Paul had used his authority to exceed that limit after the consistories of February 2001 and October 2003, with the number of potential electors reaching as high as 135.

Among those 120 cardinal-electors, 59 are European, including 20 Italians. There are 22 electors from Latin America, 14 from North America, 12 from Africa, 11 from Asia, and 2 from Australia and Oceania.