The Archbishop of Canterbury has led tributes for Lord Patrick Cormack, a former MP and member of the House of Lords, as he passed away on Sunday aged 84.
Most Rev Justin Welby described him as a “vivid character” and an “unfailingly kind” who was “willing to criticise his own party when it acted against Christian principles”.
He accepted that Lord Cormack disagreed with many things done by bishops and archbishops but became “an adviser and someone to whom we could all turn.”
"He was unfailingly kind and courteous and his and his beloved wife Mary's home in Lincoln was a place of generous hospitality," he continued.
Lord Cormack served as a Conservative MP from 1970 to 2010 and was elected ten times, most recently for the constituency of South Staffordshire from 1997 to 2010.
After standing down as an MP, he was made a life peer in the House of Lords.
Lord Cormack was also a member of the Church of England’s General Synod from 1995 until 2005 and served in the Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament.
The Bishop of Lincoln, Rt Rev Stephen Conway, was able to spend time in prayer with him before he passed away on Saturday at lunchtime in Lincolnshire.
Bishop Stephen told Premier Lord Cormack will be remembered as “a person who stood for the truth”.
“He was not prepared to stand down or compromise if he thought that something needed to be said even if that meant going against his own party or telling church leaders what for. He was somebody who lived for the truth.”
He also highlighted the 84-year-old’s passion for parish church life. He attended Lincoln Cathedral and was a Churchwarden of St Margaret’s, Westminster and was devoted to the Book of Common Prayer.
“He was really passionate about the parish life of the church. For many years when he was an MP. You think of him as being, you know, in Parliament, but let's also think about him Sunday by Sunday in his parish church with a small number of people, making sure that worship of Almighty God happened.”
Bishop Stephen concluded by requesting prayers for Lord Cormack’s wife, Margaret, who is herself unwell in hospital.