PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A retired Catholic Church cardinal with Pittsburgh connections has died.

Anthony Bevilacqua, 88, died Tuesday night in his sleep after suffering from dementia and cancer.

Bevilacqua led the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 188-2003 and he was also the bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese from 1983 to 1988.

Bishop David Zubik, who once served as Bevilacqua’s secretary, released a statement Wednesday morning.

“It is with great sadness that the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Pittsburgh heard of the death of Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua. We remember him as the 10th Bishop of Pittsburgh, who served here from 1983 until his installation as Archbishop of Philadelphia in 1988. We remember him as the “bishop from Brooklyn” who in such a short time became one of our own, a faithful shepherd who never forgot the Church of Pittsburgh even as he moved on to Philadelphia.

On a personal note, I worked with His Eminence closely during his years in Pittsburgh. I was honored and blessed to have served as his secretary and had the opportunity to know him very well. What many did not realize was that he was a man of deep compassion, dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. There are many today who are remembering his personal kindness and faithful service – the twin pillars of his priesthood.

For the Church of Pittsburgh, I extend our sympathy and prayers to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. We have lost a brother and a shepherd. As we pray for him, his family and ourselves, we do so in the comfort and consolation that he is now resting in life eternal, and at peace. I call upon all the faithful of our Diocese to remember Cardinal Bevilacqua in each of our parishes in their Masses this coming weekend.”

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