NORRISTOWN — Natural causes led to the death of a former Philadelphia archdiocese leader the day after he was ruled competent to testify at the child endangerment trial of a longtime aide, according to a county coroner.

The Jan. 31 death of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua at a seminary was caused by heart disease, with a contributing factor of prostate cancer, Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman said Thursday at a news conference. Scans of Bevilacqua’s brain also showed evidence of dementia that was “fairly advanced,” Hofman said.

Just before Bevilacqua died at age 88, a judge ruled him competent to testify at the child endangerment trial of Monsignor William Lynn, who’s accused of quietly shuffling priests suspected of molesting children to unwitting parishes while he was a high-ranking archdiocesan official from 1992 to 2004. District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman called for an investigation of the death last month, noting the peculiar timing.

The coroner, however, noted that there was no evidence of any injury to Bevilacqua’s body, that no unexpected substances were found and that all prescribed medications were within “accepted therapeutic levels.”