The Letter of James this Sunday cautions against putting the pretences of those who enter the assembly in “gold rings and fine clothes” ahead of God’s care and concern for the poor. Saying the church is “200 years out of date,” former archbishop of Milan Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, once a prominent progressive voice in the church, gave a scathing portrayal of a bureaucratic church more concerned with appearances that with staying relevant: “Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous,” Martini said in his last interview before his death last Friday.

“The church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation,” said Martini in the interview published last weekend by the newspaper Corriere dell Sera. “Why has it not been shaken up? Are we scared? Fear instead of courage?”

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone called Martini "an expert and passionate in the holy scripture." Pope Benedict XVI sent his condolences to the archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, remembering his "beloved brother that served with generosity the gospels and the church."

Martini was born in 1927 and entered the Society of Jesus at age 17. Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of Milan in 1979 and named him a cardinal in 1983. In 2002, at the retirement age of 75, Martini moved to Jerusalem to dedicate himself to biblical studies. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease.

Martini was known for his progressive position on some of the church's more controversial issues, including priestly celibacy, the use of condoms, euthanasia, and homosexuality. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano remembered Martini's "innovative paths in the interreligious dialogue" as well as the "enlightening and concrete suggestions" he received from the prelate in each of their many encounters, especially on social themes like immigration.

Sources: Articles by Naomi O'Leary for Reuters and Livia Borghese for CNN