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Cardinal Winning dies - update


Tributes have begun to pour in for Cardinal Thomas Winning, who died this morning. According to a diocesan spokesman, the Cardinal had just taken breakfast and appeared to be in good spirits when he suddenly fell ill. His housekeeper heard a noise in his room and went in to find the cardinal unconscious. Paramedics were called but they were unable to revive him. He was taken to the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow where he was pronounced dead at just before 9.55am. On hearing of the death of Cardinal Thomas Winning, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Cardinal Tom Winning. He was an outstanding leader of the Church in Scotland and beyond. His humour, dedication, utter loyalty, and unstinting defence of the Catholic Church will long be remembered. "I deeply mourn a close friend. Catholics in England and Wales will join with those in Scotland in prayer for the repose of the soul of a good shepherd, a good pastor. May he rest in peace." Mass will be said for Cardinal Winning in Westminster Cathedral on Monday 18 June, at 5.30pm. The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham said: "I am shocked and saddened to hear of the news today of the sudden death of Cardinal Thomas Winning. For so many years he has been a stalwart and courageous Catholic leader. He will be sorely missed by us all. "In particular Catholics of Scotland will mourn his loss and miss his outstanding leadership. We will all miss his powerful and reasoned defence of human life and his willingness to engage in public debate. May he rest in peace." The Most Reverend John Aloysius Ward, Archbishop of Cardiff said: "The sudden death of Cardinal Thomas Winning grieves us all. His outstanding leadership went far beyond the Archdiocese of Glasgow and Scotland. He was clear and straightforward in presenting his beliefs and moral standards. At the same time he brought to his ministry a humanity that reached out to those who found it difficult to accept and live by the high standards and teachings of the Catholic Church. "He knew the problems of today's society and the confusion caused in the lives of those of weakened or no faith. His strong defence against abortion was matched by practical help to those who had the courage to give birth to new life. "In the many years that I have known him I always thank God for the gift of Cardinal Winning to the Church. A fearless man he gave his all knowing full well, not only the gratitude of many, but also the rejection of others. "The Archdiocese of Glasgow, the Catholic Church in Scotland, and elsewhere are coming to terms with a great sense of loss. "May he rest in peace." John Smeaton, national director of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, said: "The cardinal was perhaps the foremost champion in Britain of the sanctity of human life. He fought tirelessly and fearlessly against abortion, cloning and euthanasia. He founded a scheme to give practical help to girls and women for whom pregnancy was a problem and, through the scheme, many lives were saved . We shall miss him terribly." The BBC report that the Scottish Parliament's Presiding Officer Sir David Steel said the cardinal will be "greatly missed not just by his own flock but by the whole country. He will be remembered for his robust contributions to public debate on a range of issues. He tried to lift the eyes of Scots from our own problems to the third world." Chancellor Gordon Brown called the cardinal "a great Scot and a great Christian". For a full biography of Cardinal Winning and latest news, visit the Catholic Scotland website of the Scottish Bishops' Conference through our Links pages.

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