TWO senior clergy in the Catholic Church have paid their own tributes to Bishop Edward Daly.
The 82-year-old died in Altnagelvin Hospital this morning surrounded by his loving family.
His funeral takes place this Thursday afternoon and it is expected the people of Derry will turn out in their thousands to pay their respects.
Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Catholic primate of Ireland, said he had learned of the bishop’s death with great sadness and described him as “an iconic figure in the civic and church life of Ireland”.
“As the bishop who ordained me to the priesthood in 1987, I had huge admiration for Bishop Edward. I shall always be grateful for his pastoral guidance, kindness and support,” the archbishop said.
“Bishop Edward will be remembered as a fearless peace-builder – as exemplified by his courage on Bloody Sunday in Derry – and as a holy and humble faith leader.
“Bishop Edward’s bravery was also apparent in his lived conviction that violence from any side during the Troubles was futile and could never be morally justified.”
Bishop Donal McKeown, the current bishop of Derry, said: “Bishop Daly served, without any concern for himself, throughout the traumatic years of the Troubles, finding his ministry shaped by the experience of witnessing violence and its effects.
“Through this dreadful period he always strove to preach the Gospel of the peace of Christ.”
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