I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jerome Murphy-O’Connor OP (obituary, 16 November). For many journalists who came to the Holy Land, he was a learned and genial host and instructor. I recall two magnificent occasions in which he spent whole days with me as a personal guide, the first in Jerusalem where he took me through the city to point out where the guide-book route of Jesus to his Crucifixion was wrong and down which streets in that city of living history he likely carried his Cross, noting that it is likely on that busy Passover weekend his passage went largely unnoticed. The second was a personal tour to Qumran and Masada, which my wife and I will never forget. He delighted in every stone and crevice and was attuned to the stories these mute places told to those w