Sao Paulo – In one day, the Catholic Church lost two leaders to COVID-19 on two continents. Both men were outspoken defenders of the church.
Brazilian Cardinal Eusebio Scheid (88) died on January 13 in the interior of the state of São Paulo, after only a few days in hospital with COVID-19.
Across the Atlantic, in Scotland, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow, 70, died in his home, isolating himself after testing positive for COVID 19 shortly after Christmas.
Born in the state of Santa Catarina in 1932, Scheid was ordained in July 1960 and served in the archdiocese of Florianópolis and Rio de Janeiro before retiring in 2009. Saint John Paul II elevated him to cardinal in 2003.
“To remember this brother of ours is to speak of his devotion and concern for the formation of clergy, as well as his encouragement for evangelism and the organization of pastoral care,” reads the note issued by the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference.
Known for his candor, Scheid will be remembered for the controversy with then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the 2005 conclave elected by Pope Benedict XVI.
After the death of Pope John Paul II, Lula da Silva arranged a delegation to fly to the Vatican and expressed his desire that the new pope should be Brazilian. At the time, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes was seen as one of the favorites for the papacy.
Scheid accused Lula of wanting to exploit the episode politically, saying that Lula ‘was not Catholic, he was chaotic’ and that ‘he [Lula] and the Holy Spirit did not get along well. ‘
Archbishop Tartaglia, ordained a priest in 1975, has served as leader of Scotland’s largest Catholic community since 2012.
“It is with the greatest sadness that we announce the death of our Archbishop,” reads the statement released by the Archdiocese of Glasgow.
“He was a leading opponent of proposals to legalize same-sex marriage in Scotland, and also criticized ministers over anti-bigotry legislation,” the statement said.
On January 14, retired Bishop Vincent Logan of Dunkeld, Scotland, also died of COVID-19.