Members of the Catholic faithful in Samoa are mourning the passing of Archbishop Alapati Lui Mataeliga in the early hours of Tuesday in Auckland, New Zealand. 

At around 7 am on Tuesday (Samoa local time), social media was flooded with tribute messages and condolences posts from Catholics within and outside the country.

He was 70 years old at the time of his passing.

The Diocese of Samoa Pago-Pago, in a post on its Facebook page at around 5 am Tuesday morning, expressed its heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Archbishop Mataeliga.

"With great sadness, the Archdiocese Samoa Apia announced the news of the passing of their beloved Archbishop Alapati at 3 am in Auckland New Zealand this morning," the Diocese Samoa Pago Pago post.

"Let us join in prayer and love with our brothers and sisters in Samoa as they mourn the loss of their spiritual leader. 

"We, the bishops, priests, deacons, and catechists, and people of the Diocese of Samoa Pago Pago offer our heartfelt prayers and sympathy to Samoa."

Archbishop Mataeliga is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Samoa-Apia and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Mission of Tokelau. He was ordained for the presbyterate of the Diocese of Samoa and Tokelau on July 5, 1977.

This is a developing story......