File Photo of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today condoled the death of Cardinal Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy at Rome and described him as a "pillar" of the Catholic community.
"I was deeply saddened to hear the passing away of Cardinal Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, a pillar of the Catholic community", she said.
The Cardinal's rise from humble beginnings and his service to the Church would forever be etched in the history of the world, Jayalalithaa said.
"A man of the cloth, he was a true believer in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man", she said.
"I join the multitude of my Catholic brothers and sisters in beseeching the Almighty to allow his soul to rest in peace", she said.
90-year-old Mr Lourdsamy, born in Kalleri in Puducherry and was elevated as Cardinal in 1985, was Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches at Rome.
He died on June 2 in Rome.