Reacting to news of the murder of Archbishop Isias Duarte Cancino, Archbishop of Cali, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said:

'I was deeply and profoundly shocked to hear of the brutal murder of my fellow Archbishop Isias Duarte Cancino outside the Cathedral where he had celebrated Sunday Mass moments before. His murder evokes the memory of a similar act of hatred - the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero in 1980.

'The whole Church, and men and women the world over who believe in the truth, the justice and the peace for which Archbishop Cancino lived and died, will mourn his death, will remember his life and will condemn whatever evil motivated his murderers and their associates. He will not be forgotten.

'I pray for the repose of his soul, for his family, his friends, his people and that we too might have the strength to be as courageous a witness to the Gospel as he was. May he rest in the peace of Christ.'