Greg Daly
Peter Sutherland Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Primate of Ireland, has praised the late Peter Sutherland for his support and advice to Church institutions, and his work on behalf of migrants and refugees.
“He was a man of deep faith and a devoted Catholic but also one who was critical when necessary,” he said. “He worked to ensure greater transparency in the administration of the Vatican’s financial system. He reformed the International Catholic Committee of Migration and brought it into good working commission with the United Nations bodies”.
Adviser
Mr Sutherland became a financial adviser to the Vatican in 2006, in 2015 becoming President of the International Catholic Migration Commission.
Archbishop Martin added that even when in poor health, the Dublin-born Mr Sutherland was “tireless” in his work for the UN Secretary General as special representative for Migration.
“The quality, the passion and the commitment of his work for refugees and migrants was the fruit of a genuine conviction of his faith, reflecting the dignity of every human person and the fundamental unity of the human family,” he said.
Contribution
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, in whose diocese Mr Sutherland had lived, said he was “an immensely gifted and principled man”, who made an outstanding contribution to public life, not least to the Church.
Cardinal Nichols said Mr Sutherland “was always willing to help the Church, whether in the local parish or assisting the Holy See more widely”, adding that “his wisdom, shrewdness and passion for justice were a powerful combination, and he was a fearless and courageous public witness”.