The Cardinal Luigi De Magistris, emeritus Major Penitentiary, passed away on the night of Wednesday, February 16th, at the age of 95. “The Archbishop of Cagliari, Giuseppe Baturi, and the entire diocesan community, remember with admiration and gratitude the intense apostolic work of Cardinal De Magistris and raise fervent prayers to the Lord so that He may receive this faithful servant into the celestial Jerusalem and grant comfort to his family and all those who enjoyed his friendship during his earthly life,” reads a statement from the Archdiocese of Cagliari.
In remembering this dear brother who, animated by impeccable priestly zeal, served the Lord and the Church with great dedication, I gratefully think of his generous commitment to the Holy See as a diligent and wise collaborator of my predecessors (Telegram from Pope Francis to Mons. Giuseppe Baturi).
The tireless dedication to the sacrament of reconciliation
He spent many years of his life dedicated to the sacrament of reconciliation. In an interview given to L’Osservatore Romano in July 2015, he stated that, to be good confessors, one needs to be “cultured and good,” possess “a good formation and also a deep knowledge of moral theology, along with a loving attitude towards the penitent, who should not be afraid to confess.”
In the early 1990s, then Mons. De Magistris was part of the first group of invited professors who provided academic training at the beginning of the Ateneo Regina Apostolorum in Rome. And for several years, he also gave lectures to the Legionaries of Christ studying theology, in the year prior to their respective ordinations, on the sacrament of reconciliation and pastoral confession. A day of studies known as “Ad audiendas confessiones”.
The 22nd of December, 2007, he ordained priests to 48 Legionaries of Christ at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome. In his homily, he asked the ordinands to be “ministers of truth, always be so; being a priest of Christ means being a priest in the Church, with the Church, and for the Church; as ministers of forgiveness, never say ‘no’ to someone asking for the sacrament of confession; celebrate the Eucharist as if it were the first, the only, and the last of your life.”
Father Jesús Villagrasa, LC, General Counselor of the Legion of Christ, commented in a Facebook post: “He was my teacher for hearing confessions (ad audiendas confessiones) at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. A man of sharp intelligence, extraordinary memory, and profound humility; lover of truth; fervent son of the Church and the Pope; external appearances of ‘Don Camillo’; great pastoral sense, sacerdotal heart, and open mind. Rest in peace!”.
