Cardinal Vincent Nicholas has led tributes to Sir David Amess, a Catholic MP murdered at his constituency surgery in Essex in a suspected terrorist attack.

The Conservative MP for Southend West was knifed about a dozen times by a man who sprinted into Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea shortly after 12 noon on Friday.

Police declared the murder to be a terrorist incident and have arrested a 25-year-old British Muslim of Somali descent on suspicion of murder.

According to the Daily Mail, local priest Fr Jeffrey Woolnough arrived at the cordon to present the final sacraments of the Church to Sir David but was refused access.

“The officers said that because it was a crime scene, and also the nature of the scene, it just wasn’t possible,” he said.

Sir David was declared dead about three hours after the attack and a short while later Cardinal Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, paid tribute to him.

He said: “The tragic death of David Amess creates a painful loss in so many lives. I pray for him that he be welcomed into the merciful presence of Our Heavenly Father.

“I pray for his family and friends, those reeling from shock at this time. I pray for his constituents all those who worked with him in his political career.

“This death throws a sharp light onto the fact that our Members of Parliament are servants of the people, available to people in their need, especially in their constituencies,” he continued.

“This horrific attack, as David was undertaking his constituency surgery, is an attack on our democratic process and traditions.

“David carried out his vocation as a Catholic in public life with generosity and integrity. He served in Parliament for four decades and was respected by all political parties across the House. His untimely death is a great loss.”

Cardinal Nichols added: “David Amess, as a Catholic, understood the role and importance of the Holy See. It was he who, in 2006, established the All-party Parliamentary Group for relations with Holy See Group, a Group including people from different faiths and beliefs. Over the years he led several parliamentary visits to Rome.

“He was instrumental in the historic visit of Pope Benedict to Parliament in 2010 and in the return visit by HMG representatives to Rome in the following year.

“He fostered this mutually respectful relationship through meetings with Cardinal Parolin, the Pope’s Secretary of State, and with other Catholic leaders. This contribution is both esteemed and will be sorely missed.”

Bishop Alan Williams of Brentwood, the diocese which covers Essex, said: “Sir David had a deep Catholic Christian faith which expressed itself in great generosity and kindness to those he served in the wider community of Essex and East London.

“I experienced first-hand his friendliness, goodness and concern for others; he was a very fine man who gave himself wholeheartedly to public life. The manner of his dying is utterly shocking and I ask all members of the diocese to pray for Sir David and all those who will be affected by his sudden and painful absence in our lives.”

Lord Alton of Liverpool, who was baptised in the same Catholic Church by same Franciscan priest as Sir David, said he was “devastated”.

“It was with profound sorrow that I heard today of the murder of Sir David Amess MP, a longstanding friend and parliamentary colleague,” said Lord Alton

“Just a few weeks ago we shared a platform at the launch of his book, Ayes & Ears, documenting his political career over nearly four decades and how Parliament and politics have changed.

“Typically of David, the proceeds of the book were dedicated to three charities: Endometriosis UK, Prost8 and the Leigh-based Music Man Project.

“Notwithstanding all the good in the world we still have the capacity to do truly evil things,” he continued.

“This horrific attack has not only robbed David of his life but its reverberations will have devastating consequences for his family and loved ones. My thoughts are with Julia and their children.  May he now rest in peace.”

Sir David, 69, a father of five children, was first elected to Parliament in 1983 and at the last election he held Southend West for the Conservative Party by a majority of 14,000 votes.

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, who visited the murder scene on Saturday with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, said: “All our hearts are full of shock and sadness at the death of Sir David Amess MP.

“He was one of the kindest, nicest most gentle people in politics.”

He is the second MP to be murdered in office since Labour MP Jo Cox was stabbed and shot multiple times at a local library in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June 2016.

Last year, Sir David wrote about how important it was for MPs to meet constituents in spite what had happened to Mrs Cox.

He wrote: “She was a young woman with a family going about her duties, as we all do, completely unaware of the threat that she faced.

“While it is often said that good can come out of someone’s death, it is difficult to see what good can come from this senseless murder.”

He said he was among those MPs to have been threatened at his home, leading him to invest in additional security around his property.

Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered Mrs Cox, tweeted: “My thoughts and love are with David’s family. They are all that matter now. This brings everything back. The pain, the loss, but also how much love the public gave us following the loss of Jo. I hope we can do the same for David now.”

Sir David consistently voted with his conscience to uphold the right to life and the Christian understanding of marriage and Catherine Robinson of Right To Life UK was among those who paid tribute to him.

She said: “Sir David’s death is a senseless tragedy and he will be truly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Julia and their five children

“We have had the honour of working with Sir David over the years across a number of issues and he was a passionate and dedicated patron of our charity”.

“Sir David was a pro-life champion. Since he was elected in 1983, he always, where possible, used his position as an MP to stand up for the vulnerable, including championing initiatives to introduce more protections for unborn babies and more support for women facing crisis pregnancies.

“Everyone who worked with Sir David knew him to be a kind, caring and jovial man, who showed real care for the most vulnerable in our society”.

The post Cardinal leads tributes after Catholic MP Sir David Amess is murdered in terror attack appeared first on Catholic Herald.