Rome, February 8th “ I express my most sincere condolences for the the passing of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua Archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Philadelphia USA, that died at the age of 88. The Italian community residing in the American city was very attached to him; for years the Cardinal was very close the Italian community residing in North America, and was close to the Italian immigrants that came here to work, to try to improve their quality of life, to build a future”. That is how Amato Berardi (PDL) member of the Italian Parliament representing North and Central America, remembered Cardinal Bevilacqua.
The Cardinal was Bishop of Pittsburgh and then Archbishop of Philadelphia, nominated by Pope John Paul II from 1988 to 2003. It was the Pope himself that considered the Cardinal a focal point of reference in the United States.
If the Pope wanted information about catholic life in the USA, Cardinal Bevilacqua was his closest associate. Amato continues remembering the Cardinal “We worked many times with the Cardinal, especially in promoting the Italian language in the catholic elementary schools in Philadelphia. Together we have organized many charity events, to help the poor and the needy. He was born and raised in New York, son of Italian parents that had immigrated from Italy. He was also an excellent lawyer, and he help many Italian immigrants especially when applying for work visas or obtaining green cards” Amato then concludes “After Brooklyn and Pittsburgh, he came to Philadelphia where he brought the word of Christ with humility and devotion. He will be missed without doubt by many Italians, Italian-Americans and Americans of course”
Hon. Amato Berardi
