RELIGIOUS leaders have expressed their condolences to Martin McGuinness describing him as a man who left behind violence to take a "path of peace and reconciliation".
Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and All-Ireland Primate Eamon Martin said he would remember Mr McGuinness as someone who tried to convince others that "goals could be achieved by politics and persuasion".
"People like Martin McGuinness have made an immense contribution to sustaining peace by reaching out a hand of friendship and reconciliation and being prepared to model alternatives to dispute and division," he said.
"Martin's personal warmth and open, friendly personality was able to melt away suspicion and help build trust with those coming from very different perspectives.
"Being grounded in love for his family, community and native city of Derry, he understood the importance of a peaceful, just and prosperous future for all. Martin was ambitious for peace.
"He knew that peace was worth striving for and was within reach in his lifetime."
Dr Richard Clarke, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, said Mr McGuinness's life was "in so many ways one of two very distinct halves, and most of us have great difficulty in connecting the two".
"That having been said (and it must be said), while recognising the hurt, fear and misery brought into hundreds of other lives in the first part of that life, we should also convey proper appreciation of the immense statesmanlike qualities that Martin McGuinness brought into the political life of Northern Ireland in recent years.
"He displayed both real courage and a genuine openness to those of different political viewpoints from his own."
Presbyterian Moderator Dr Frank Sellar also extended his sympathies to the family of Mr McGuinness.
"Few public figures have made such a journey from violence to peace as Martin McGuinness and many people will acknowledge the contribution and commitment to the common good which he made in the latter part of his life," he said.
