Cardinal Giovanni Coppa, Cardinal Deacon of S. Lino and former Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic has returned to the Lord on Monday, 16 May 2016 at the age 0f 90.

Cardinal Coppa was the Assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State from 1975 to 1979, working in the Roman Curia, and then was made the Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic (1990-2001) and to Slovakia (1993-1994). He was made a Prince of the Church as the Cardinal Deacon of S. Lino in the Consistory of 24 November 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI, the Vicar of Christ.

We pray for the soul of Cardinal Giovanni Coppa, that God will welcome him into the eternal glory of heaven. And we also thank God for having given us this great servant of God and His Church through his many works and dedications for the sake of the people of God. May God give him eternal rest. Amen.

As of today, with the passing of Cardinal Giovanni Coppa and the aging-out of Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the College of Cardinals stood at 214 members, consisting of 114 Cardinal-electors and 100 Cardinal non-electors.