Archbishop Marcinkus has died

Archbishop Paul Marcinkus died on Monday night, the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, announced yesterday. He was 84 years old. Born in 1922 in a suburb of Chicago, Archbishop Marcinkus was ordained priest in 1947 and became archbishop in 1969. For 18 years, between 1971 and 1989 the Archbishop was head of the Vatican Bank, or Institute of Religious Works. The bank was the main shareholder of the Banco Ambrosiano which collapsed in 1982 in an unresolved scandal. The head of Banco Ambrosiano, Roberto Calvi, was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London shortly afterwards. At the time the Archbishop denied any knowledge of wrongdoing by the Vatican Bank, and was granted immunity from questioning because he was a Vatican employee. He continued to work for Pope John II, and accompanied him during his early foreign travels. An imposing figure, Archbishop Marcinkus stood at six feet four inches tall. After his retirement to Sun City in 1990, he continued in active ministry locally.