I remember with admiration his courage during the time of persecution, when, deprived of his freedom, he did not falter in his adherence to Christ and to the Church,” Pope Leo XIV said of Cardinal Dominik Duka, O.P., Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, in a message of condolences sent to the city’s current Archbishop, Jan Graubner.

Created a Cardinal in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, the Dominican Cardinal died on Tuesday in Prague at the age of 82.

Upon learning of the Cardinal’s passing, the Pope expressed his closeness to the Church in the Czech Republic, to his Dominican confrères, as well as “to the priests, religious, and faithful who found in him a shepherd forged in faith and a fearless proclaimer of the Gospel.”

“With a father’s heart,” Pope Leo continued, “he guided the People of God, promoting reconciliation, religious freedom, and dialogue between faith and society.”

The late Cardinal’s episcopal ministry, founded on the Dominican charism of truth and charity—as his motto, In Spiritu Veritatis reminds us—the Pope insisted, remains an example of faithful dedication to the mission.

Before imparting his blessing upon all who are mourning Cardinal Duka and are taking part in funeral rites, Pope Leo XIV entrusted “to divine mercy the soul of this good and generous servant” and prayed that God might “welcome him into the joy of His kingdom.”