Paul Josef Kardinal Cordes in Kirchhundem zu Grabe getragen

With a Pontifical Requiem Mass presided over by Archbishop Dr. Udo Markus Bentz, the Archdiocese of Paderborn bid farewell to Archbishop Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes on Friday, March 22, 2024, in Paderborn Cathedral. The Cardinal, who was closely connected to his home diocese of Paderborn, died in Rome on March 15, 2024, at the age of 89, after a serious illness. The burial took place on Friday afternoon in Cardinal Cordes' home parish, the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Kirchhundem. Father Heinrich Schmidt, head of the Kirchhundem Pastoral Area, presided over the funeral service. Numerous companions – bishops, priests, and parishioners – participated in the Pontifical Requiem Mass in Paderborn Cathedral. Many parishioners also attended the burial in Kirchhundem. ... Cardinal Cordes was born in Kirchhundem (Sauerland) in 1934, was ordained a priest in Paderborn in 1961, and served as Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn from 1976 to 1980 before his path led him to the Vatican in Rome. There, he served for many years as President of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum." "Proclaimer of the Gospel" In his homily, Archbishop Dr. Udo Markus Bentz honored the late Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes as a "proclaimer of the Gospel, its truth and beauty." Faithfulness to the Church's faith was his "lifeblood." God acts and works through people "who understand themselves as instruments of his action," Archbishop Dr. Bentz continued. In his "spiritual testament," Cardinal Cordes exemplified this in his own life, seeing "God's action in the course of events" in his life review. Archbishop Dr. Bentz continued. Funeral in Kirchhundem A large congregation of mourners gathered in Kirchhundem to attend the funeral of Cardinal Cordes at the parish church of St. Peter and Paul. The parish council had offered Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes the opportunity to be buried in his home church several years prior, and the construction of the burial vault in the left aisle was personally financed by Cardinal Cordes. The service, held near a Loreto Madonna he had commissioned upon his elevation to the cardinalate, was led by Father Heinrich Schmidt. The head of the Kirchhundem Pastoral Area, and thus the parish priest of the late Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes' home parish, paid tribute to the deceased in a eulogy during the Liturgy of the Word. Foundation In the parish of St. Peter and Paul in Kirchhundem, Paul Josef Cordes had put down his roots and sought to build his life on a foundation of faith, Father Schmidt explained in his eulogy. “Today he returns here, and as a congregation, companions, and friends, we lay him back to the foundation that sustained and shaped him: the foundation of his family, the foundation of this very specific parish, the foundation of this church where Paul Josef Cordes received and celebrated the sacraments, and which he had been thinking about more and more in recent times.” God is present Pastor Schmidt continued, explaining that Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes understood his existence as a priest as a “call to service.” “He wanted to serve: the great God and the searching and struggling human being.” Cardinal Cordes understood it as his service to let God’s presence shine forth, to name it “in the everyday things and in the challenges of life.” He wanted to show people, “God is there, there for you. You are meant to live and find fullness; you may hope because God is present in the concreteness of your life.” Pastor Heinrich Schmidt affirmed that Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes bore witness to the "presence of God," especially when human language could not express reality. A Man of Faith, Prayer, and the Church The Archbishop of Cologne, Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki, described Archbishop Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes as a man of faith, prayer, and the Church. The deceased was deeply committed to faithfully transmitting the faith of the Apostles and remaining faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. "Because Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes loved Christ, he also loved the Church," Cardinal Woelki emphasized. The Archbishop of Cologne honored Cardinal Cordes as a witness to the Gospel who contributed to making the truth of the Gospel known and to ensuring that Jesus Christ shines forth in the Church. Video: Berthold Stamm bilderdienst.de