was Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major and oldest member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, died
last Saturday night, two days after his 93rd birthday.
The Cardinal was one of the two Cardinal Priests who were not Bishops of residential or titular sees. Ordained four days before his 23rd birthday, he spent the whole of his career in Rome as an ecclesiastical lawyer, first as Professor of Civil Law at the Appolinare and then, since 1894, in the Sacred Congregation of Rites.
As an official and later as a Cardinal member of this Congregation, he helped with every canonisation and beatification cause investigated in Rome during 50 years or more.
For a number of years he was Promoter General of the Faith— the "Devil's Advocate " in the Congregation — and later became its secretary.
Pope Pius XI created him Cardinal in 1925 and the present Holy Father appointed him Archpriest of St. Mary Major in 1939.
He was protector of a number of religious congregations including the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions at Hastings, Sussex.
Work and prayer were his only
interests. He lived as a simple religious in a community of Franciscan tertiaries in the Villa S. Francesco in the Via dei Monti Parioli, and it was here that he died. The funeral took place on Wednesday.
The death of Cardinal Verde reduced the number of Cardinals in the Sacred College to 56.
Vatican chimes
The 36 hells for the carillon, covering three octaves have just arrived at Civitas Del. the Holy See's pavilion at the Brussels International Exposition. Some of the best known performers in Belgium and the Netherlands will give concerts during the course of the exposition.