THE FORMER Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has died aged 85.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor was the former leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.
He was the second most senior Catholic in Britain.
Prior to becoming the Archbishop of Westminster, he served as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton for nearly 23 years.
Earlier this month, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Arundel and Brighton had called for prayers for the Cardinal after he was taken seriously ill in hospital.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, speaks during a memorial service for the late Sir Terry Wogan at Westminster Abbey. (Picture: Yui Mok - WPA Pool /Getty Images)“These loving prayers are a source of great strength and comfort as he calmly ponders on all that lies ahead, all in God’s good time.
“May the Lord strengthen him in faith and trust and may the prayers of the Church, which he loves so much, comfort and uphold him," he wrote.
The former Archbishop was born on August 24, 1932 in Reading as one of six siblings to Irish parents from Co. Cork.
He was ordained Bishop December 21, 1977, and translated to Westminster as 10th Archbishop in 2000.
He was then created Cardinal in February 2001, becoming Archbishop Emeritus in 2009.
At the time of his death, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor lived in west London.
