Mass was said for the repose of the soul of Ann Widdecombe on July 23, organised by the Catholic Writers’ Guild of England and Wales, in which she was described as a “woman of profound Christian faith”. Widdecombe previously served as Mistress of the Keys of the Guild.
The Mass was offered at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, administered by the Society of Jesus, where those present paid tribute to Widdecombe. Masses have also been offered for the repose of the soul of Widdecombe, who converted to Catholicism in 1993, on July 11 at Westminster Cathedral and Buckfast Abbey.
Simon Caldwell, who currently serves as Master of the Keys for the Catholic Writers’ Guild, said he believed Widdecombe was aware of the risks to her safety as a public figure, but that she “preferred to die in perfect freedom rather than live in fear or slavery”.
Widdecombe’s death, aged 78, is being treated as murder, with police believing a possible political or terrorist motive.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Guild, paid tribute to Widdecombe in a July 13 message to the Guild, calling her a “person of great freedom”.
“She was not afraid. Fear, or timidity, is often the enemy of freedom. But in her, freedom won over fear every time. She was ready to say what she held to be true. She was free to grant to others the freedom to say, in their turn, what they thought. She was ready to argue the toss in a measured and thoughtful manner. She was free to change her mind, her allegiance, when she thought it right to do so. She also had that personal freedom to enter into fun and enhance it with her joy in life.
“But there is one more freedom that she possessed and expressed quite recently, I understand. When asked if she feared death her answer was ‘No’. And her reason was firm and unequivocal. She had no fear of death because, as she said, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’.”
Cardinal Nichols said the Church was “the source of her freedom. That was the foundation upon which she could face all challenges. That was the gift that shone most brightly in her remarkable life.”
He asked the congregation to pray for Widdecombe and her friends and family.
Police believe Widdecombe died on July 8 and described the attack as “brutal” and “targeted”. She was discovered at her home in Dartmoor, Devon on Thursday, July 9. It was announced on July 13 that counter-terrorism police had taken over the investigation and that the attack was being treated as terrorism.
28-year-old Joshua Kerry is charged with the murder of Widdecombe. Prosecutors allege that Kerry, who was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11 at an address in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, attacked Widdecombe after entering her home and asking her for identification, striking her 21 times on the head with a hammer.
Prosecutors said a camera inside the home had recorded the incident and that Widdecombe was discovered after her personal assistant asked her gardener to check on her. A provisional trial date was set for June 8, 2027.
