CARDINAL Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the former leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, died yesterday after a battle with cancer.
The 85-year-old, who became Archbishop of Westminster in 2000 before retiring from his role in 2009, was admitted to hospital last month.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols said his predecessor, whose parents emigrated from Co Cork to England before the First World War, died peacefully surrounded by his family and friends.
He said his abiding memory would be of the cardinal's "infectious laughter and his sense of fun", as well as his love of music and the piano in particular.
"He led the Catholic Church with verve and enthusiasm - he was a man who loved life and lived it to the full and he died peacefully and with real humility," he said.
A traditional Catholic who opposed birth control and abortion, the cardinal came from a staunchly religious family. His older brother, the late James Murphy-O’Connor, was a GP who played rugby for Ireland.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor was not without controversy and in 2015, he admitted he was deeply ashamed of the way he handled sex abuse allegations concerning a priest in the 1980s.
He told the Hay Festival, in south Wales, how, as the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, he allowed priest Michael Hill to become the chaplain of Gatwick Airport despite Hill confessing to him that he had abused young boys.
Cardinal Nichols said: "He deeply regretted that decision and the fact he did not report that matter immediately.
"He said that very openly but it spurred him on to establish two independent inquiries into how the Catholic Church in England and Wales understands and responds to abuse of children and vulnerable people and in taking these initiatives he was ahead of his time."
All-Ireland primate Archbishop Eamon Martin said he was sad to learn of the cardinal's death.
"Conscious of his family connections in this country, I express, on behalf of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference, my sincere sympathies to the family of the late Cardinal Cormac," he said.
"I invite the faithful in Ireland to pray for the happy repose of the soul of Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor."
The head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, also paid tribute to the cardinal, saying people saw in him "something of Christ".
"His humility, sense and holiness made him a Church leader of immense impact."
