The Archbishop  Diarmuid Martin, has expressed his sympathy to the wife and family of the late Peter Sutherland.  Mr Sutherland had been, for a number of years, an advisor to the Vatican’s Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See and was also President of the Geneva-based International Catholic Committee of Migration.

Archbishop Martin said that Peter Sutherland was generous in giving financial support and expert advice to many Church institutions on a national and international level. “He was a man of deep faith and a devoted Catholic but also one who was critical when necessary.  He worked to ensure greater transparency in the administration of the Vatican’s financial system. He reformed the International Catholic Committee of Migration and brought it into good working commission with the United Nations bodies”.

Archbishop Martin added: “Peter Sutherland was tireless in carrying out his mission as Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Migration even in a period when his health was failing.  The quality, the passion and the commitment of his work for refugees and migrants was the fruit of a genuine conviction of his faith, reflecting the dignity of every human person and the fundamental unity of the human family”.