Former head of the Italian bishops' conference is remembered in Italy as champion of "non-negotiable values".Cardinal Camillo Ruini, one of the most influential figures in Italian Catholic life in recent decades, died on Tuesday night at his Rome apartment, near the Vatican. He was 95.Ruini's health had been declining since early May, when he chose to remain at home, cared for by doctors and nurses rather than return to hospital. He had previously been admitted in September for kidney problems but had recovered. Rise to the top of the Italian Church Born on 19 February 1931 in Sassuolo, in the province of Modena but the diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla, he trained for the priesthood at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and was ordained in 1954. Ruini's rise through the Church hierarchy began in earnest when he was made auxiliary bishop of Reggio Emilia in 1983, having previously distinguished himself as a teacher and pastoral organiser. His role in preparing the 1985 Loreto ecclesial congress brought him to the attention of Pope John Paul II, who appointed him secretary general of the Italian bishops' conference (CEI) in 1986 and its president in 1991. He held the presidency for 16 years, until 2007, while also serving as the pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome and archpriest of the Basilica of St John Lateran from 1991 to 2008. Non-negotiable values It was under Ruini's leadership that the CEI grew in institutional weight and cohesion. He became closely associated with the doctrine of "non-negotiable values" - chiefly the defence of life, the family and educational freedom - and took uncompromising stances on issues such as abortion and euthanasia, including in the high-profile cases of Piergiorgio Welby and Eluana Englaro. He also championed a "culturally oriented project" from 1997 onwards, urging Italian Catholics to engage more assertively with academia, publishing and the media. "Better contested than irrelevant" became one of his best-known sayings. Politics His relationship with politics was close but informal: though never aligned with a single party, he was widely seen as an influential interlocutor for centre-right governments, particularly under Silvio Berlusconi, while also retaining warm personal ties to figures on the left, including Romano Prodi, whose wedding he officiated. His call for abstention in the 2005 referendum on assisted reproduction is regarded as one of the most consequential political interventions by a Church leader in recent Italian history. Tributes The Diocese of Rome paid tribute to his "intelligence in interpreting the presence of Christians in the city" and his ability to discern the country's political and social shifts. Prime minister Giorgia Meloni said she was deeply saddened by news of his death, describing him as a man of extraordinary intelligence who had vigorously defended the identity and role of Catholics in Italian society, and recalling an "affectionate bond of friendship" with him. Deputy premier and foreign minister Antonio Tajani called him "a precious interlocutor of politics and institutions" and "a great Italian". Senate president Ignazio La Russa praised his role as a "passionate defender of Christian witness", while deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini hailed Ruini as "a point of reference for millions of Italian Catholics" who "dedicated his life to the Church, to dialogue, and to the defence of Western values, always with courage and consistency". Former prime minister Romano Prodi, who knew Ruini from their shared youth in Reggio Emilia's Catholic Action circles, said the news had moved him profoundly, recalling decades of friendship despite their differing paths. The president of the CEI, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, said Ruini had "served the Church with intelligence, pastoral passion and a deep ecclesial sense". Ruini's funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of writing. Photo Vatican News

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, one of the most influential figures in Italian Catholic life in recent decades, died on Tuesday night at his Rome apartment, near the Vatican. He was 95. Ruini's health had been declining since early May, when he chose to remain at home, cared for by doctors and nurses rather than return to hospital. He had previously been admitted in September for kidney problems but had recovered. Born on 19 February 1931 in Sassuolo, in the province of Modena but the diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla, he trained for the priesthood at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and was ordained in 1954. Ruini's rise through the Church hierarchy began in earnest when he was made auxiliary bishop of Reggio Emilia in 1983, having previously distinguished himself as a teacher and pastoral organiser. His role in preparing the 1985 Loreto ecclesial congress brought him to the attention of Pope John Paul II, who appointed him secretary general of the Italian bishops' conference (CEI) in 1986 and its president in 1991. He held the presidency for 16 years, until 2007, while also serving as the pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome and archpriest of the Basilica of St John Lateran from 1991 to 2008. It was under Ruini's leadership that the CEI grew in institutional weight and cohesion. He became closely associated with the doctrine of "non-negotiable values" - chiefly the defence of life, the family and educational freedom - and took uncompromising stances on issues such as abortion and euthanasia, including in the high-profile cases of Piergiorgio Welby and Eluana Englaro. He also championed a "culturally oriented project" from 1997 onwards, urging Italian Catholics to engage more assertively with academia, publishing and the media. "Better contested than irrelevant" became one of his best-known sayings. His relationship with politics was close but informal: though never aligned with a single party, he was widely seen as an influential interlocutor for centre-right governments, particularly under Silvio Berlusconi, while also retaining warm personal ties to figures on the left, including Romano Prodi, whose wedding he officiated. His call for abstention in the 2005 referendum on assisted reproduction is regarded as one of the most consequential political interventions by a Church leader in recent Italian history. The Diocese of Rome paid tribute to his "intelligence in interpreting the presence of Christians in the city" and his ability to discern the country's political and social shifts. Prime minister Giorgia Meloni said she was deeply saddened by news of his death, describing him as a man of extraordinary intelligence who had vigorously defended the identity and role of Catholics in Italian society, and recalling an "affectionate bond of friendship" with him. Deputy premier and foreign minister Antonio Tajani called him "a precious interlocutor of politics and institutions" and "a great Italian". Senate president Ignazio La Russa praised his role as a "passionate defender of Christian witness", while deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini hailed Ruini as "a point of reference for millions of Italian Catholics" who "dedicated his life to the Church, to dialogue, and to the defence of Western values, always with courage and consistency". Former prime minister Romano Prodi, who knew Ruini from their shared youth in Reggio Emilia's Catholic Action circles, said the news had moved him profoundly, recalling decades of friendship despite their differing paths. The president of the CEI, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, said Ruini had "served the Church with intelligence, pastoral passion and a deep ecclesial sense". Ruini's funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of writing.