Archbishop Martin was ‘hugely influenced’ by John Hume when he was growing up in Derry

The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin said a ‘great sadness has descended on my home city of Derry today as we learn of the death of one of our greatest sons, Mr John Hume.

“That sadness ripples out to every corner of Ireland and all around the world where the mere mention of the name of John Hume evokes admiration, respect and thanksgiving for a life dedicated to peace and social justice.”

The Archbishop said that John Hume will be remembered as “a paragon of peace, a giant of a statesman whose legacy of unstinting service to the Common Good is internationally acclaimed, even though it is still perhaps only unfolding.”

“As a young person growing up in Derry I was hugely influenced by this man of principle. For me, like many other pupils of Saint Columb’s College, John Hume was considered one of our heroes and role models.

“When I went to study for the priesthood at Maynooth I was happy to know that he too had once been a seminarian for the Diocese of Derry. But John’s vocation was to serve God and his community as a layman, and he totally devoted his energies to that vocation - to relieving poverty, challenging injustice and providing decent living conditions for all.

“Later, as a priest working in Derry, I came to know John as a man whose convictions were rooted in a deep faith, in prayer and practical Christianity. I was honoured to announce eight years ago that Pope Benedict XVI had conferred on him a papal knighthood in recognition of his commitment to peace, reconciliation, non-violence and social justice.”

Archbishop Martin said John Hume “put Catholic Social Teaching into practice - sometimes at great personal cost and risk - working ceaselessly for a process of reconciliation through which the dignity of every human person is recognised and upheld.”

“Every so often we come across a person of vision, who lifts us up to see and think beyond the confines of our own, much narrower, perspectives. John Hume was such a man of vision, whose dreams were challenging but always achievable - whether it was ‘people helping people’ in a credit union or ‘countries assisting countries’ in the European project - he lived out the principle of “Ní neart go cur le chéile” (there is no strength without working together).

“His secret was to encourage the pooling of ideas and resources to raise the hopes and opportunities for all. B’fhéidir nach bheidh a leitheid aris ann - it is now up to the rest of us to step up and be as courageous and determined as he was to deliver (in the words of his favourite song) that “bright brand new day!”

Archbishop Martin added: “Our prayers and thoughts are especially with his dear wife Pat and Family. Pat was such a rock of support to John, and is an inspiration to all of us. We ask that God will comfort her and John’s extended family circle, friends, former colleagues and loved ones in the knowledge that John was someone special - one in a million!”