Cardinal Gilberto Agustoni, the prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura, died on January 13 at the age of 94.Born in 1922 in Switzerland, the prelate was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Basel and Lugano in 1946. He spent much of his priesthood in the Roman Curia and was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy in 1986.
From 1992 until his retirement in 1998, he led the Apostolic Signatura, the highest ecclesiastical court. In 1994, Pope St. John Paul II created him a cardinal.
In his telegram of condolence to the deceased cardinal’s niece, Pope Francis called Cardinal Agustoni a “sincere and diligent collaborator of the Holy See,” one who bore “witness to priestly zeal and loyalty to the Gospel.”
“I raise fervent prayers to the Lord Jesus that, by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, he may grant to the departed cardinal the eternal reward promised to His faithful disciple,” the Pope added.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, will celebrate Cardinal Agustoni’s funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on January 17.
With Cardinal Agustino’s passing, there are now 226 members of the College of Cardinals, of whom 120 are eligible to take part in a papal election.