Cardinal Camillo Ruini, described by the National Catholic Register as “John Paul II’s chief strategist in Italy” and a “formidable strategist of the Church in Italy,” died on June 17, 2026, at the age of 95. The Register’s obituary, authored by Edward Pentin, presents Ruini as a “trusted collaborator of John Paul II — and later of Benedict XVI” who “dedicated himself to keeping the Catholic Church in Italy relevant at a time when secularism was increasingly taking hold.” He is credited with leading the Italian bishops’ conference from 1911 to 2007, orchestrating a 2004 boycott of an IVF referendum, opposing civil unions, promoting “Family Day” rallies, and serving as president of the International Commission of Inquiry on Medjugorje from 2010 to 2014. Pentin notes that Ruini “praised John Paul II and Benedict XVI, but was less at ease during the pontificate of Pope Francis,” and that in his final interview he “disapproved of Benedict XVI’s resignation,” faulted Francis for “taking too little account of tradition,” and said his “first impression of Leo XIV was excellent.” The cardinal also expressed opposition to restoring the Traditional Latin Mass, saying “it’s very important for people to understand the language in which they celebrate.” The obituary concludes with effusive tributes from Leo XIV, Cardinal Dziwisz, Cardinal Zuppi, and Italian political figures. What this hagiography conceals is that Camillo Ruini was one of the principal architects and executors of the conciliar revolution in Italy — a man whose entire career was built upon the systematic dismantling of Catholic doctrine, the substitution of the Church’s supernatural mission with a naturalistic “cultural project,” and the consolidation of the post-Vatican II sect’s grip on Italian Catholic life.
