Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic dead at 81

Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic, the retired Archbishop of Toronto, died Friday morning after a lengthy illness. He was 81.

The Slovenian-born Ambrozic was a priest for 56 years, a bishop for 35 and served as the ninth Archbishop of Toronto from 1990 to 2006.

Premier Dalton McGuinty said in a statement that he was saddened to learn of the cardinal’s death and that his thoughts and prayers were with Ambrozic’s family and friends.

Mayor Rob Ford said in statement, “I wish to express my deepest sympathy to the Archdiocese of Toronto, and the family, friends and parishioners of Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic.”

Both leaders said that Ambrozic hosted Canada’s World Youth Day in 2002 and welcomed Pope John Paul II and hundreds of thousands of young people to Toronto.

Ambrozic’s family came to Canada in 1948 and settled in Markham. He attended St. Augustine’s Seminary and was named an auxiliary bishop for the Toronto Archdiocese in 1976.

Pope John Paul II nominated him as cardinal in 1998 and he participated in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

A Brampton high school is named after Ambrozic, as well as a long-term care facility in Scarborough where he spent his final months.

“Cardinal Ambrozic’s tremendous contributions to the spiritual life of the faithful of our Archdiocese and the heritage of his wisdom, his knowledge, and his love of the priesthood will remain with us all,” the Archbishop of Toronto, Thomas Collins, said in a statement.

Ambrozic will lie in state at St. Michael’s Cathedral. The dates of times of public visitations haven’t yet been announced.

An online commemoration has been established. Click here to see it.

The full statement from Mayor Rob Ford is below.

On behalf of Toronto City Council and Toronto’s residents I wish to express my deepest sympathy to the Archdiocese of Toronto, and the family, friends and parishioners of Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic.