Pope Leo XIV called the 99 -year -old Argentine cardinal who is hospitalized

Pope Leo XIV telephonely communicated with Cardinal Argentino Estanislao Esteban Karlic, 99, who is hospitalized in the city of Paraná (Entre Ríos) after having undergone surgical intervention.

The call occurred on Tuesday, May 20 in the afternoon, and the conversation was in Spanish. The Holy Father, specified from the Archdiocese of Paraná, addressed Cardinal Karlic “in a clear and serene voice”, and told him “that he personally owed him much, that the Church had received many valuable services from the cardinal and that in the present situation he continued to serve it.”

Finally, Pope Leo XIV “told him that he wanted him to know that the church prayed for him and, that he also did it.”

When he said goodbye, the pontiff wished him peace. “It was a moment of great simplicity and enormous grace, which left a very deep peace,” they said from the archbishopric.

Since 2005, Cardinal Karlic has been a member of the Order of St. Augustine, of which at that time the current Pope was a general prior.

For that reason, on all his trips to Rome, Karlic stayed in the Generalitan house of the Augustinian parents, where they had frequent treatment.

On the afternoon of May 13, Cardinal Argentino – the second longest -lived in the world – was subjected to a small surgical intervention to place a pacemaker. Since then, he recovers favorably, but does not receive visits.

This morning, his secretary, Haydeé Copati, reported that the purple spent a quiet night. They continue to ask for prayers for their health.