Cé was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on 27 March 1948 in the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

Pope John Paul II elevated him into the cardinalate on 30 June 1979 as the Cardinal-Priest of San Marco.

He was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that saw the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

In 2006, he was invited by Pope Benedict XVI to preach the Lenten spiritual exercises to him and the Roman Curia.

[3][4] In 2015 the Patriarch of Venice Francesco Moraglia invited the Venetian people to gather documentation to start the process that would commence the cause of beatification for the late cardinal.