Cardinal Cassidy farewelled at heartfelt St Mary’s Mass

The late Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy has been farewelled in a touching ceremony at St Mary’s cathedral, attended by the highest ranking figures in the Australian Catholic Church.

Cardinal Edward Cassidy.

The late Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy has been farewelled in a touching ceremony attended by the highest ranking figures in the Australian Catholic Church, where he was remembered by friends and family as a kind-hearted and grounded man of faith.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher paid tribute to the Cardinal, who died last week at 96, before a crowd of mourners who packed the city’s St Mary’s cathedral for a funeral mass on Monday, remarking on his generous spirit and commitment to the church. “(He was) a man of immense charm and intellect,” Archbishop Fisher said.

“And of deep faith in Christ and fidelity to the church. He was a great encourager — as a young bishop, I received that from him.”

Archbishop Fisher, speaking from the church altar just above what would be the cardinal’s resting place in the crypt, praised his tireless work to unite the faiths, remembering him as a friend to all religions.

“His work in humanism and education, especially with our Jewish brothers and sisters, was quite incredible,” he said.

“Only last week at a meeting of religious leaders in this region, I heard from Protestant and Jewish leaders what a friend he was.”

Wollongong Bishop Brian Mascord paid tribute to the “faithful pilgrim” and his friend of 40 years, sharing insights into the cardinal’s human side. “The reason the cardinal could preach this was that he knew such pain,” he said. “He struggled with his own belief in himself, but he never doubted in the presence of God.

“He was sensitive to the human frailties of the congregation before him.”

Born in 1924 in Sydney, Cardinal Cassidy spent most of his ­career overseas serving in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa, after studying canon law in Rome. He passed away on April 10 after he suffered a fall.