- Title: Once seen as possible pope, Italian cardinal Tettamanzi dies at 83
- Date: 5th August 2017
- Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CEREMONY IN PROGRESS SCEPTRE BEING PASSED FROM CARDINAL MARTINI TO CARDINAL TETTAMANZI / THE MEN KISSING EACH OTHER ON THE CHEEKS / CARDINAL TETTAMANZI SITTING DOWN HOLDING SCEPTRE CARDINAL TETTAMANZI SITTING DOWN HOLDING SCEPTRE
- Embargoed: 19th August 2017 15:05
- Keywords: Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi dies pope contender Archbishop Emeritus of Milan Pope John Paul Pope Benedict Pope Francis
- Location: VATICAN AND MILAN, ITALY
- City: VATICAN AND MILAN, ITALY
- Country: Vatican City
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0036SVQ2X3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, once seen as a possible contender to become pope, died on Saturday (August 5) at the age of 83, the Milan diocese said on its website.
Tettamanzi was made archbishop of the Italian port city of Genoa in 1995 and in 2002 moved to nearby Milan, one of the world's largest dioceses with some 5 million faithful and 1,000 parishes. He had become a cardinal in 1998.
Pope Francis wrote to Milan's outgoing Archbishop Angelo Scola and his successor Mario Delpini to express his condolences over the departure of one of "the most loveable and beloved" prelates of the Milanese diocese.
A prolific writer, Tettamanzi helped Pope John Paul draft some of his encyclicals and was seen by some Vatican watchers as a potential candidate to replace the Polish pontiff when he died in 2005.
But he was little known outside his native Italy and fellow cardinals instead elected Josef Ratzinger as pope.
Tettamanzi was born in Renate near Milan on March 14, 1934. He began studying as a priest at the age of 11 and was ordained at 23 by the then-archbishop of Milan, Giovanni Battista Montini, who went on to become Pope Paul VI. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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