Pope Benedict praises Detroit's Cardinal Szoka for his service

From CWNews:

"...The same September 20 issue of L'Osservatore Romano also reproduced a letter from the Pope to Cardinal Edmund Szoka, thanking him for his years of service to the Holy See. Cardinal Szoka stepped down on September 15 from his post as president of the commission governing the Vatican city-state, retiring at the age of 79. He was replaced in that leadership role by Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo.

In his letter the Pope praised Cardinal Szoka, the former Archbishop of Detroit, for having "worked with passion and without sparing energy or time" in his years of service at the Vatican. The American prelate had come to Rome in 1990 to preside over the Vatican's economic affairs, moving in 1997 to head the Vatican governate."

The latest issue of the Michigan Catholic has an interview with Cardinal Szoka here. The Cardinal explains what he plans on doing now:

Q What are your plans for retirement? How do you intend to exercise your priestly ministry in retirement?

A I will stay in the Vatican for at least another year, because I'm still on five different congregations, until I'm 80. After that, it depends; if I can find a place to live here in Detroit, I may spend about half the year here and then half or maybe a little longer than half a year there. If I do, I would be very willing to help out at a parish on weekends, say Mass or hear confessions or things like that, preach sermons. I'd be very happy to do that.

I would also like to have some time to do reading that I've not had time to do before — and, possibly, some writing. I'd like to read some more of the early Church Fathers, and also some other aspects of Church and world history.

The interview ends with a very touching recounting of John Paul the II's last couple days on earth, since Cardinal Szoka was very near the Holy Father during that time. Do go read.