Cardinal Basil Hume died ten years ago this June. When he was told he was terminally ill with cancer, his reaction was to go to the hospital chapel to pray before the crucifix.

A new book of previously unpublished reflections by Cardinal Basil Hume ‘Seven Last Words’ (edited by Liam Kelly) shows he had great devotion to the last words of Jesus. In a sense, he made Jesus’ prayer his own: ‘Into your hands I commend my spirit’. Out of the depths of despair and suffering, he was searching for hope.

As Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, writes in the Foreword “This is the gift of self, which is the heart of love, written large. In effect, it is a love story I commend for your prayerful reflection”.

‘Seven Last Words’ is published by Darton Longman Todd, price £9.95. ISBN 13: 978 0 232 52764 3