In his homily, Cardinal Sodano said he had visited the ailing Patriarch a few days before he died of complications from a cerebrovascular accident (CVA, or stroke). He said Cardinal Daoud told him he was "offering to the Lord his suffering for the good of the holy Church and above all for the unity of all Christians". In a message to the incumbent Syriac Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Pope Benedict XVI called the Cardinal Patriarch "a faithful Pastor who devoted himself with faith and generosity to the service of the people of God". He went on to say that, "these days, when we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord", he was offering special prayers "for the peoples of the region who are living through difficult times". Distinctions Grand Master of the Order of Saint Ignatius of Antioch References External links Biography at catholic-pages.com Biography at Holy Roman Cardinals page Syrian cardinals 1930 births 2012 deaths Pontifical Lateran University alumni Daoud Syrian archbishops Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Syriac Catholic bishops 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops Burials in Lebanon Recipients of the Order of Saint Ignatius of Antioch Eastern Catholic bishops in Africa Eastern Catholic bishops in Syria