Bernardin Gantin

Cardinal Bernardin Gantin of Benin, a prominent churchman whose influence was felt in Europe and in West Africa, has died. He was 86. Gantin died Tuesday afternoon at the George Pompidou Hospital in Paris of complications caused by severe dehydration, said Jean-Yves Riocreux, the bishop of Pontoise, who was at the cardinal's bedside before his death. Gantin was transferred to the Paris hospital from Benin when his health worsened following a funeral ceremony in Africa, Riocreux said, adding that the cardinal had suffered from dehydration. Gantin, the son of a railway worker, was archbishop of Cotonou in Benin before going to Rome. He worked closely with Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. One of the last cardinals to be named by Pope Paul VI, Gantin spent more than 30 years in the Roman Curia. He served as head of the Vatican's Justice and Peace Commission and head of the Congregation for Bishops. That office is responsible for the world's bishops and is one of the top Vatican positions. While at the Vatican, Gantin was known for maintaining close ties to the people of Benin, returning often to visit his native country. "That is why many (in Benin) had so much admiration for him. He contributed so much to life in Benin," Riocreux, a close friend of the cardinal's for more than 30 years, said by telephone. Gantin's high church function also made him a symbol of success in Benin. In his telegram of condolences, the pope described Gantin as an "eminent son of Benin and of Africa, who was well esteemed by all and inspired by a deeply apostolic spirit and by a high sense of the Church and its mission in the world." Gantin, who had been living in Benin since 2002, was to be buried there. Funeral arrangements were not immediately clear.