Public mourning period begins for Bevilacqua

A week after the death of retired Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, public mourning for the Catholic leader will begin.

Bevilacqua was 88 when he died Jan. 31 after a battle with dementia and an undisclosed form of cancer. His body arrived around 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, and that’s where the public will have two chances to visit him before interment.

The basilica’s doors will remain open through 9 p.m. Monday, and the public can return Tuesday between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. His funeral will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Bevilacqua’s death came days after a judge ruled he was competent for testimony in the sexual abuse and cover-up trial of three Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests, a teacher and a monsignor. The archbishop was elevated to cardinal in 1991 and retired in 2003.