TRIBUTES have been paid to the Conservative politician and distinguished churchman Lord Cormack, who has died, aged 84.
Lord Cormack was an MP from 1970 to 2010, when he received a life peerage. He was a member of the General Synod from 1995 to 2005, and served on the Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament, before resigning in 2021 over the Church’s handling of safeguarding (News, 24 September 2021).
He was also a vice-president of the National Churches Trust (NCT) and Deputy High Steward of Lincoln Cathedral.
The Archbishop of Canterbury described Lord Cormack on Sunday as “a vivid character whose many years of public service were driven by his Christian service. . . His rigorously timed and well-judged interventions spoke to his strong Christian faith guiding his values and prompting his interventions.
“Patrick was a traditionalist, an old-fashioned Conservative who, within the Lords, was willing to criticise his own party when it acted against Christian principles. But he was not tribal. He disagreed with many things done by bishops and archbishops, but remained a friend, 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 spot of generous hospitality.
“My prayers are along with his wife, Mary, sons Charles and Richard, and their wider family.”
The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, expressed “deep sadness” at news of Lord Cormack’s death, whom he described on social media as “an awesome friend of the Lords Spiritual and lots of others in Parliament, a zealous son of the Church and a fearless champion of standards in public life”.
The Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, described Lord Cormack as “an expensive friend and unstinting supporter during my time as Bishop of Lincoln. He will probably be greatly missed for his service to the humanities and heritage across Greater Lincolnshire and beyond. His passion, energy, imagination, and deep determination were fuelled by a profound Christian faith, lived out through his commitment to the worship and lifetime of Lincoln Cathedral, as a former churchwarden of St Margaret’s, Westminster, and in his wider contribution to parish life, not least through the cadences of the Book of Common Prayer, to which he was devoted.
“I even have learned from him as a effective parliamentarian who was glad to proclaim his Christian faith and go against the tide for the sake of truth. This was equally the case for his service in Parliament, on its Ecclesiastical Committee, and through his time on General Synod.”
Lord Cormack was remembered in prayers at evensong in Lincoln Cathedral on Sunday.
The Interim Dean of Lincoln, Canon Nick Brown, said that Lord Cormack had been “enthusiastic in engaging others to support the lifetime of the cathedral — especially in his role as Deputy High Steward, a task wherein he successfully raised funds for a variety of projects connected with the cathedral.
“As well as his contribution within the role of Deputy High Steward, Patrick was, after all, dedicated to the worship of God on this holy place wherein we’re privileged to supply worship to God. Patrick was a dedicated member of the cathedral community, who was often seen at each day services within the cathedral at any time when the broader demands of a busy life allowed. Patrick held a robust faith that informed and illuminated all he did in lots of fields of life, and he was a loyal and passionate advocate for the cathedral and its worship.”
An announcement from Lincoln Cathedral said that funeral arrangements could be publicised once they were known.
The NCT wrote on its social-media account: “We are saddened to listen to of the death of Lord Cormack, who faithfully served as Vice-President of the National Churches Trust for over 40 years. Lord Cormack was a champion of churches, and he will probably be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are along with his family.”
