Catholic Church pays tribute to murdered Irish bishop

The Catholic Church in Ireland has paid tribute to Michael Courtney, the Irish Archbishop shot dead in Burundi yesterday.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has also expressed his shock at the killing.

Archbishop Courtney, the Pope's representative in the war-torn east African nation, was injured in a gun attack on his car and died later in hospital while undergoing surgery.

The 58-year-old was a native of Nenagh in Co Tipperary.

The government in Burundi claimed Hutu rebels from the National Liberation Forces (FNL) were responsible for the ambush on Monsignor Courtney’s car, but the FNL denied any involvement.

The FNL have been fighting against Burundi's dominant Tutsi minority for the past 10 years.