Retired Cardinal Bevilacqua Dies At 88

Retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who headed the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for more than 15 years, has died. He was 88.

An archdiocese spokeswoman says Bevilacqua died last night in his sleep at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood. He had been battling dementia and an undisclosed form of cancer.

Bevilacqua was the spiritual leader of the 1.5 million-member Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1988 until his retirement in 2003.

He was criticized but never charged by two grand juries investigating child sex abuse allegations in the Roman Catholic church. His death comes just days after lawyers battled in court over his competency as a potential witness in the upcoming trial of a longtime aide.

A victims group, SNAP, says Bevilacqua's death means "we will never learn the full truth about clergy sex crimes and cover-ups."