Cardinal Kelvin Edward Felix, Archbishop Emeritus of Castries (Saint Lucia), died on Thursday, May 30, at the age of 91. Pope Francis sent a message of condolence, expressing his “deep gratitude” for his ministry, and especially remembering “his efforts in promoting the education of young people and his contribution to the Church throughout the Caribbean.” ”.
Cardinal Felix was one of the first cardinals created by Pope Francis, on February 22, 2014. By then, the cardinal had already resigned from the pastoral government of the Archbishopric of Castries for six years and, being 81 years old, had no right to vote in a possible conclave.
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In a telegram addressed to Bishop Gabriel Malzaire, Archbishop of Castries, the Holy Father said he was “saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Kelvin Edward Felix,” and joined in the prayers to “commend his soul to the love and mercy of our Father.” Heavenly”.
“To those present at the Mass of Christian Burial, and to all those who mourn his departure in the sure hope of the Resurrection, I cordially impart my blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Risen Lord,” the Pope concluded.
According to a statement from the Archdiocese of Castries, Cardinal Felix “passed away peacefully at the Abbey of Our Lady of the Assumption,” in Castries, where he had lived for about a year.
“Frail due to age and medical complications, he finally succumbed after days of constant prayer for the Church and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” the archdiocese said.
Who was Cardinal Kelvin Edward Felix?
Born on February 15, 1933 in Rodeau, the capital of the Caribbean island of Dominica, Kelvin Edward Felix was ordained a priest in 1956, becoming the first Catholic priest ordained on his native island.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he studied Education in Canada and Sociology and Anthropology in the United Kingdom.
In 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Castries (Saint Lucia), a position he held until February 15, 2008, when Benedict XVI accepted his resignation upon turning 75.
During his episcopal ministry he was president of the Caribbean Conference of Churches (1981-1986)—an ecumenical organization in the region—and of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (1991-1997).
After his resignation from the pastoral government of the Archdiocese of Castries, he returned to his native Dominica, where, as the Archdiocese of Castries recalls in its statement, “he continued his ministry as a simple priest.”
About a year ago, due to health problems, he returned to Santa Lucia, and settled in the Abbey of Our Lady of the Assumption, where he died last Thursday.
The Episcopate of Latin America joins in prayer for the death of Cardinal Felix
The Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) expressed on a note of mourning his “deep regret” for the death of Cardinal Felix, and assured that the bishops of the region “in spiritual communion express our condolences and closeness to him.”
“The members of the Presidency of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) join in the pain of the community of which he has been father and pastor and especially his family, to whom we ask to extend our heartfelt condolences in the face of this sensitive loss,” he pointed.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.