SAO PAULO – Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, known as the "cardinal of the people" and one of the most active voices against Brazil's military dictatorship, died in Sao Paulo Dec. 14. The 95-year-old retired archbishop of Sao Paulo had been hospitalized since Nov. 28 with pneumonia.

MONTREAL – Warren Allmand is being mourned as an exceptional and principled Roman Catholic politician who, as solicitor general in Pierre TrudeauöÏÓãÊÓƵapp cabinet in 1976, introduced the bill which abolished capital punishment in Canada.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis expressed condolences to the members of Opus Dei following the death of Bishop Javier Echevarria, who led the prelature for over 20 years.