Pope, at funeral Mass of Cardinal Ruini, quotes from newly published spiritual testament

June 19, 2026

At the funeral Mass of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 18 (video), Pope Leo XIV quoted from the late prelate’s spiritual testament, published online the same day in Italian and English.

A leading protégé of Pope St. John Paul II, Cardinal Ruini died on June 16 at the age of 95.

Born in 1931, Cardinal Ruini was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Reggio Emilia in 1954. St. John Paul appointed him an auxiliary bishop (1983), secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference (1986), and vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome (1991-2008). By papal confirmation, Cardinal Ruini also served as president of the Italian Episcopal Conference from 1991 to 2007. St. John Paul created him a cardinal in 1991.

Prior to the funeral Mass, Pope Leo, in a telegram of condolence, recalled Cardinal Ruini’s “deep faith” and “acute intelligence.”

“In his Spiritual Testament, speaking of the many people towards whom he felt gratitude for the good they had bestowed upon him, Cardinal Camillo wrote: ‘From them I have received no less than what I have sought to give,’“ Pope Leo preached at the funeral Mass. “I believe these are words that can help us too to fulfil our responsibilities and carry out our various ministries with the same humility and the same trust in God.”

“Moreover, he himself bore witness that one of the resources that accompanied him the most throughout his long life, ever since his childhood, was prayer: simple, heartfelt, fresh in his earliest years, and then maturing over time, right up to the period of frailty and illness,” the Pope said, before quoting another passage from the spiritual testament: “I hope, Lord, that I have acted not out of personal interest but for the objectives entrusted to me and which I wholeheartedly shared.”

Pope Leo continued:

Cardinal Camillo Ruini had the grace to know personally and to work with some of the great saints of recent times, such as Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II. In particular, regarding his relationship with Pope Wojtyła, with whom he collaborated for so many years, he wrote: “In John Paul II I experienced your presence, Lord; I was able to witness first-hand the unity in prayer, the inseparability of prayer, life and apostolate, the courage of faith that guides history, and the capacity to love and forgive.”

I believe that the Cardinal was able to draw much from the great Pontiff’s example of unity of life, for we can also recognize in him many of the traits with which he describes the saintly Pope; and I think that this harmony of sentiments can also inspire us on our journey.

Pope Leo also reflected on Cardinal Ruini’s episcopal motto, Veritas liberabit nos (Truth will set us free).

“These words sum up the profound understanding of the person and of freedom that Christ has revealed to us and which the Church teaches: we are made for truth and for goodness, and it is only in this that we find unity, peace and true fulfilment, both in this earthly life and for eternity,” the Pope said. “They clearly remind us of a message that is particularly significant for our times, in which we can be disoriented by relativist tendencies and by wholly fluid visions of reality and of the human person.”

“Looking at Cardinal Ruini’s life, at how he lived and how he left this world, we can see a sign of the strength and stability with which a person grows and matures when they find in the Truth that comes from God the center and fulcrum of their existence,” the Pope added.

Pope Leo concluded:

I would like to express my gratitude to the people who, as already mentioned, accompanied, assisted and supported the Cardinal in his work, throughout his pastoral service and especially during his later years and in his infirmity. In particular, I would like to thank those who remained close to him until the very end with devoted care. May the Lord reward them all, grant comfort to his relatives and loved ones, and bestow upon him the reward of His peace that has no end.

In other passages of the spiritual testament—not quoted by Pope Leo during his homily—Cardinal Ruini also spoke about Pope Benedict and Pope Francis:

After John Paul II, I worked for three years with Benedict XVI, and I thank him with all my heart, also for the affection he continues to show me.

When Pope Francis was elected, I rejoiced and, insofar as I could, immediately supported him. Even today I rejoice and thank him for his extraordinary missionary and evangelizing zeal.

Yet I must confess that I find myself in a state of unease—not for personal reasons, certainly, but because I struggle to understand certain directions that seem to me to reopen wounds which, after the Council, had only with difficulty been healed. I humbly ask the Lord to convince me inwardly that the Church is His and that He Himself cares for her, beyond our human perspectives.

 

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Further information:

• Papal Mass for the Funeral of Cardinal Camillo Ruini (Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 6/18/26)
• Cardinal Ruini’s Spiritual Testament Reveals ‘Unease’ Over Pope Francis’ Direction for the Church (Diane Montagna's Substack, 6/18/26)
• Pope recalls late Cardinal Ruini’s ‘deep faith,’ ‘acute intelligence’ (CWN, 6/18/26)
• Cardinal Ruini, key official under St. John Paul II, dead at 95 (CWN, 6/17/26)
• Papal Chapel for the funeral of Cardinal Camillo Ruini (Holy See Press Office, 6/18/26)