Vice President of the Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Peter Smith, pays tribute to Jim Dobbin MP after his sudden death on 7 September 2014:
“I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the sudden death of Jim Dobbin MP. My prayers, along with those of so many others, are with his wife Pat and his family. Jim was a man of deep faith and great courage. He was totally committed to his family, to his Catholic faith, and to his vocation in politics and public life.
“Jim was a prominent Catholic MP, and I had the privilege of knowing him well in recent years. At a time when taking a public stand on life issues, especially abortion, was particularly hard, he was always courageous and steadfast in standing up for what he believed to be right, and he did this for very many years against an often a harsh and wintry prevailing climate of opinion.
“Because of his manifest integrity and the respect and courtesy he always showed others, I know he came to be highly respected on all sides of the House of Commons. He was an exemplary servant of both his faith and his country. He is a great loss to Parliament, constituency, party and, of course, the Church. May he rest in peace.”
Mt Rev Peter Smith
Archbishop of Southwark
Vice President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
