Retired leader of Roman Catholic church in England and Wales was appointed cardinal by pope in 2001

Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the former Catholic archbishop of Westminster, has died at the age of 85, a church spokesman has said.



He became leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales in 2000, and was appointed as a cardinal by Pope John Paul II the following year. He retired in 2009.

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A message sent from his successor, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, to bishops in England and Wales on Friday said: “I am writing to let you know the sad news that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by his family and friends.”

Nichols asked bishops to pray for his soul, and said details of funeral rites would be circulated as soon as possible.

Murphy-O’Connor became seriously ill and was admitted to hospital a fortnight ago.

In a letter to Nichols, published on Friday shortly before his death, Murphy-O’Connor said he had been privileged to serve Catholic clergy and laity as their bishop.

“At this time, the words I pray every night are never far from my thoughts: ‘Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.’ Please tell them that I am at peace and have no fear of what is to come. I have received many blessings in my life, especially from my family and friends.



“I thank God for the many priests, religious and lay faithful who have helped and sustained me in my Episcopal life. Nor should I forget the many Anglican and Free Church colleagues whose friendship I have valued very much.



“Above all, as I now commend myself to the loving mercy of God, I ask them all to pray for me as I remember and pray for them.”



Tony Blair, who turned to Catholicism in 2007, paid tribute to Murphy-O’Connor. A statement on behalf of Blair and his wife Cherie said: “Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor was a wonderful advertisement for Christianity and the Catholic church.

“He led a life of commitment, dedication and compassion. But he also led a life of joy. He was a lovely person to be with and be around, with a great sense of humour and the sharpest of wits. I found him always a source of wisdom and genuine friendship. We will miss him greatly and give thanks for his life.”

Blair converted six months after stepping down as prime minister. Murphy O’Connor later said Blair had considered converting for many years, but he had advised the Labour leader not to rush it.

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican church, paid tribute to the cardinal, saying people saw “something of Christ” in him and his death was “a loss to his innumerable friends, to the church and to the country”.

“Cormac was a bishop for four decades but was first and foremost a servant of God and disciple of Jesus Christ. His humility, sense and holiness made him a church leader of immense impact,” Welby said.



The cardinal was a good friend to Anglicans across the world, he said, and would be “remembered with thanks and affection by all whose lives he touched. He was a great raconteur and storyteller, amusing, but always with a purpose.

“His words and his life drew people to God. His genial warmth, pastoral concern and genuine love for those in his care will be missed, but also celebrated with thanks. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”

Murphy-O’Connor was one of three brothers from an Irish family who became priests after growing up in Reading, Berkshire.

In the Vatican, he was a close ally of fellow cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was elected as Pope Francis in 2013, although Murphy-O’Connor was ineligible to vote as he was by then over 80.



Soon after succeeding Basil Hume as the Catholic leader in England and Wales, Murphy-O’Connor became embroiled in controversy over his handling in the 1980s of a paedophile priest, Fr Michael Hill, in his previous diocese of Arundel and Brighton.

After receiving a complaint about Hill concerning a minor, Murphy-O’Connor ordered him to undergo counselling, and later appointed him chaplain at Gatwick airport, where he abused again. Hill was jailed for five years in 1997.



Publicity around the case prompted calls for his resignation as archbishop of Westminster, which he resisted. Instead he set up an inquiry under Lord Nolan into safeguarding in the Catholic church.

Two years ago, on publishing his memoirs, An English Spring, he told an interviewer: “Of course, with hindsight, I should have reported [Hill] to the police. I don’t want to make any excuses. It’s very shameful.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought last November on the eve of Remembrance Day, the cardinal focused on the theme of a “good death”.

“In spite of all our weaknesses and failures, God loves us and so death must be of a piece with life. With the help of God I hope I will be able to face it, not with fear but with hope and confidence as being in the hands of God,” he said.

“I think, quite simply, that the way to have a good death is to try to live a good life.”

Francis Campbell, the vice-chancellor of St Mary’s University, Twickenham, and a former British ambassador to the Holy See, said Murphy-O’Connor was a “wonderful ambassador for faith and Christianity”.

“I had extensive dealings with him during my time in Rome, and I couldn’t have asked for a better cardinal. He was great fun, very supportive, very encouraging and down to earth. He never took himself too seriously.”

Campbell said he had last seen Murphy-O’Connor in May at a dinner to mark 60 years in the priesthood. “He was his usual self, reflective but very human.”

Chris Bain, the director of the Catholic aid agency Cafod, said the cardinal “was someone who really looked at you and engaged with you when he was talking to you. I saw that myself when we were in Sri Lanka meeting people who’d lost everything in the tsunami. He was very moved by what he saw, and by people’s resilience, and he had an enormous capacity to communicate with people, and genuinely wanted to listen and hear people’s stories.

“He felt the Catholic church’s work with the poorest and most marginalised was a really important part of its mission.

“Cardinal Cormac was a very warm person, and hugely generous with his time, as well as having a deep empathy with people who were suffering or oppressed. I think his legacy will be the compassion and loving service he gave to ordinary people within the church.”

Sheila Hollins said she was “incredibly sad” to hear of the cardinal’s death. “I was very fond of Cormac. He was such a warm, human, approachable person. What I really liked about him is that he acknowledged his mistakes and put everything he had into putting them right. And he had a great sense of humour.”