Bishop Loverde: 'Deeply Saddened' by Death of Justice Antonin Scalia

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, released the following statement Sunday, in reaction to the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday:

“The sudden and unexpected death of a person we know always catches us off guard. This is all the more so when that person, so suddenly and unexpectedly taken from our midst, is a man so deeply rooted in his faith, so brilliant in the law and in jurisprudence, so clear and precise in his judicial statements, so wholly committed to his family, so engaging with colleagues and friends, often with great humor.

We are all deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia. His presence among us encouraged us to be faithful to our own responsibilities whether familial, religious or vocational. His wisdom brought clarity to issues. His witness to truth enabled us to seek to do the same.

God’s timeline is not ours. We had hoped to enjoy Justice Scalia’s presence and to benefit from his insights for a much longer time. We now commend him to the saving mercy of our God Who is compassionate and full of mercy and love.

We offer our profound sympathy and the pledge of prayer to his beloved wife, to his nine children and 36 grandchildren, to all other family relatives and friends. We offer as well our sympathy to the Chief Justice and the justices of the Supreme Court and to all those who worked with him and shared life with him. We will continue to work together, seeking the truth and living in love, as Justice Scalia so faithfully endeavored to do.”

PHOTO: Justice Antonin Scalia photo courtesy of U.S. Supreme Court