Take him all in all, it will be long ere we look upon his like again

AFTER Abraham Lincoln died in 1865 a joint resolution of the US Congress praised his "qualities of courage, will and indomitable persistence of purpose, which never flagged or faltered ...

... he was a power felt and acknowledged by the nation".

The words almost fit. Substitute 'globe' for 'nation' and you can begin to write a tribute. One of the greatest moral voices in 2,000 years has passed from our world. "A hero for the ages," as US President George W Bush put it.