Cardinal Godfried Danneels
Bishop Larry Silva sent a letter of condolences to the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels in Belgium upon the death of his predecessor, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who was an ardent advocate for the canonization of his countryman, St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai.
Cardinal Danneels, retired archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, died March 14 at the age of 85.
“I have fond memories of Cardinal Danneels during the time of the canonization of St. Damien” in 2009, Bishop Silva wrote to Cardinal Josef DeKesel. “He was a most gracious host to the Hawaii pilgrims who first went to Belgium before going to the canonization in Rome.”
“He later came to Hawaii to join us in our local celebrations of the canonization, and his presence was very much appreciated,” he said.
On Oct. 4, 2009, Cardinal Danneels presided at a Mass in Damien’s birthplace of Tremelo attended by the king and queen of Belgium and 326 pilgrims from Hawaii.
The cardinal visited Kalaupapa in October of that year.
Cardinal Danneels also visited Hawaii in 1995 after the beatification of St. Damien and participated in ceremonies at Iolani Palace honoring the missionary of Molokai.
Pope Francis, in his condolences, described Cardinal Danneels as a “zealous pastor” who “served the church with dedication not only in his diocese but also at the national level as president of the Belgian bishops’ conference, as well as serving as a member of various Roman dicasteries.”
Known as a lecturer and a liturgist, Cardinal Danneels was appointed by St. Paul VI as bishop of Antwerp in 1977. Two years later, he was named archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and subsequently created a cardinal by St. John Paul II.
At 49, Cardinal Danneels became the third youngest member of the College of Cardinals in 1983.