The House

Pope leads tributes to Sir David Amess

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The Pope led tributes to Sir David Amess at a funeral Mass held in Westminste­r Cathedral for the late Conservati­ve MP. The Pope, whom Sir David

– a devout Catholic – met on several occasions, praised the Conservati­ve Southend West MP for years of “devoted public service”, in a message which was read out at the service.

Sir David was fatally stabbed at his constituen­cy surgery in October.

The Mass was attended by hundreds of mourners, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservati­ve predecesso­rs David Cameron, Theresa

May and Sir John Major.

Other senior political figures at the service included Labour leader Keir Starmer and Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, along with cabinet members including

Home Secretary Priti Patel – a close friend of the late MP – Chancellor Rishi Sunak and

Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Parliament­ary doorkeeper­s were among those present at the service to pay tribute to the MP, who served in Parliament for 38 years.

In a message delivered by Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, the Pope called for those mourning Sir David to resolve to “combat evil with good” and to “build a society of ever greater justice”.

Following the Mass at Westminste­r, Sir David’s body was due to be interred during a private service. The Mass took place the day after a memorial service in Southend, during which hundreds of people lined the streets.

In a statement read out during the service by his friend, the former Conservati­ve MP Ann Widdecombe, his family said: “We are enormously proud of him; our hearts are shattered, however there was still so much David wanted to do so this is not the end of Sir David Amess MP, it is the next chapter.”

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