The Italian Church owes "a great deal" to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, a "wise and caring shepherd of Christ's flock". With these words, the Pontiff paid tribute to the late cardinal during the solemn funeral Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica. During the ceremony, which was also attended by Cardinal Robert Prevost, the Pope retraced significant phases of Ruini's long career as the historic head of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) and vicar of the diocese of Rome. "He was able to guide the people of God and his brothers in the episcopate in important and delicate moments", the Pope underscored, recalling how the cardinal approached several obstacles "with enthusiasm, discernment, and courage". Ruini's influence, however, reaches well beyond the ecclesiastical community and has a major impact on the civil community as well. Pope Leo XIV, in fact, opted to highlight his most significant ideas, from his famed "cultural project" to his unwavering devotion to fostering Catholics' contributions in different realms of civil, religious, and political life in the country. This is an essential legacy, strengthened by his substantial work for the Diocesan Synod of Rome, as well as his constant and open engagement in dialogue with the secular world and society at large.