Swiss Cardinal Tscherrig dies in Rome

Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig has died at the age of 79, a Vatican spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday. Tscherrig, who came from the Upper Valais in southwestern Switzerland, took part in the election of Pope Leo XIV last year.

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This was reported by the Catholic media centre kath.ch on Tuesday, citing the College of Cardinals. Tscherrig was in the diplomatic service of the Vatican until 2024, most recently as the first non-Italian to serve as papal ambassador to Italy and San Marino, the report added. Tscherrig had lived in Rome since his retirement in 2024.

In 2023 Pope Francis elevated Tscherrig to Cardinal. Alongside Curial Cardinal Kurt Koch, he was the only Swiss papal elector. After his death, the College of Cardinals still has 242 men, 118 of whom are under 80 years old and are currently likely to elect a new pope.

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Tscherrig was born the eldest of eight children in a family of mountain farmers in Unterems, canton Valais. He attended primary school in Unterems and, from 1961, the college in Brig. After graduating from high school, he studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the seminary in Sion and at the University of Fribourg.

The diocese of Sion ordained him a priest in 1974. He then studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1978.

Adapted from German by AI/ts