Cardinal Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri has passed away on last Monday, 2 June 2014 at the age of 90. He was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore, one of the large Archdioceses in India, from 1968 to 1971, and then was for a very long time, the member of the Roman Curia, as the Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith from 1973 to 1985, and then as Prefect for the Congregation for Oriental Churches from 1985 to 1991, and eventually as the Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals from 1993 to 1996.

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Cardinal Lourdusamy was created Cardinal in 1985 by Pope St. John Paul II in his third Cardinal creation consistory on 25 May 1985. His motto was Aedificare Domum Dei, which means “To build the house of God”. This means an emphasis on the evangelisation to the people of God, to establish His Church, which is growing rapidly in India, as millions grow to know about the Lord and wanting to join the faith in Jesus.

We pray for Cardinal Lourdusamy, that he will rest in peace, and God will reward him for all his hard and great work as the long time servant of God as the shepherd of the faithful in Bangalore, as well as for all the ministries and good works he had done in Rome for the sake of God and His people in the entire Universal Church. May the Lord welcome him into His embrace in heaven and give him eternal rest and happiness that he deserved.

With the passing of Cardinal Lourdusamy, the College of Cardinals now stands at 214 members, with 118 Cardinal-electors and 96 Cardinal non-electors. The number of Cardinal-electors now is two below the specified maximum limit.

There are now 2 Cardinal-elector vacancy in the College of Cardinals, 0 vacant Cardinal Suburbicarian Sees (for Cardinal Bishops), 2 vacant Cardinal Title (for Cardinal Priests) and 7 vacant Cardinal Deaconries (for Cardinal Deacons).