An Irish priest who became a close friend of murdered Conservative MP Sir David Amis described him as a man who was always on the lookout for other people.
Father Pat Brown presided over the 1983 wedding of Mr. Ames and his wife Julia at Westminster Abbey, and was also the ceremony at the baptism of their five children.
A liturgy was to be given at the wedding of Mr. Ames’ daughter, Katie, before Christmas, in the chapel in the Palace of Westminster.
Father Brown has been a priest in the Diocese of Westminster for 47 years. He got news that a deputy had been stabbed to death while he was preparing to give a solemn speech at a wedding mass.
«I saw a headline at 1.55pm and didn’t have time to read it or follow up to find out how severe his stabbing was. At that point he wasn’t dead. Only when the wedding was over I called the deputy who told me he was dead.»
Mr Ames was fatally stabbed while undergoing surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, in Essex, on Friday. The prime suspect in his murder is a British citizen of Somali descent, and Scotland Yard, in a statement last night, said its investigations «revealed a possible motive linked to Islamic extremism».
Duty priest
Father Brown, originally from Ratwat, Ko Meath, is the parish priest in Our Lady of the Apostles, in Pimlico, central London. In 2009 he became the first duty Roman Catholic priest in the British House of Representatives since the Reformation.
In this capacity, he got to know Mr. Ames very well. Father Brown said the MP for Southend West was someone of strong Christian faith who was consistent in his pro-life views – he opposed the death penalty as much as he was against abortion.
He was fully aware of his faith and tried to live according to it. He was a nice guy in every way. Live life to the fullest. A search for all forms of life. «He was always looking for the underdog,» Father Brown added.
His interest in all forms of life included his opposition to fox hunting, which he fiercely opposed – a position that did not make him popular in sections of the Conservative Party. «He was always his own man,» said Father Brown.
In 1988, as one of the few Catholic MPs in the House of Commons, he brought Mother Teresa to see then British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
He was the founder of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See, which lobbied to ensure proposals to merge the British Embassy in the Vatican with its embassy in Italy would not succeed.
English MP Sir David Amis was fatally stabbed while undergoing surgery in Les-on-Sea, Essex, on Friday. Photo: Richard Townsend/British Parliament/AFP via Getty Images
Ames was of a working-class Catholic background in London’s East End. He inherited his Catholicism from his mother, Maud.
“He was very sociable, very fun-loving and a bit awkward. When he became a knight [in 2015]Remembers Father Brown.
«He would always argue in the room that South End should be recognized as a city. He was always laughing at his own expense, but he was a very serious man.
“He really cared about people’s concerns and worked for everyone in his community. He was very worried about his colleagues. If he heard someone was sick, he would come visit them. He was always looking for people.”
On Monday, the multi-denominational church in Westminster will be open all day for people to come and remember. A large memorial service and funeral will take place at a later time.