ERNESTO CARDENAL

They were among many religious leaders — some admired worldwide, others beloved only locally — who died in 2020. It occurred in April, during a period in which numerous Church of God in Christ bishops and pastors died of COVID-19. 2 leader, Bishop Amfilohije -- who also died after COVID-19 complications -- both downplayed the dangers of the pandemic and avoided wearing masks in public. Edward Kmiec, 84, who between 1992 and 2012 served as the Roman Catholic bishop of Nashville, Tennessee, and Buffalo, New York. John Yambasu, 63, a bishop of the United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone who died in a traffic accident in August.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

Ernesto Cardenal, the renowned poet and Roman Catholic cleric who became a symbol of revolutionary verse throughout Latin America, and whose suspension from the priesthood by St. John Paul II lasted over three decades, died Sunday at a hospital in this countrys capital at 95. Cardenal penned verse that went around the globe, and lived until his last days with a lucidity that inspired amazement and admiration in the literary world. Bosco Centeno, a close friend of Cardenal, said the poet was hospitalized in Nicaraguas capital of Managua a couple of days ago with a heart problem. Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega watches Pope John Paul II point his finger at Ernesto Cardenal after the pontiffs arrival at the airport in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1983. (Mario Tapia / Associated Press)In 1983, John Paul publicly upbraided Cardenal at Managuas international airport at the beginning of a tense visit.