Peter could see Cath was upset; that much was obvious. And it was Peter's solemn duty to upset him further. He was sorry for that, but, at present, he had a job to do.
The priest felt that Cath would not appreciate a long preamble. So, instead, he simply took a breath and said, as gently as he could, "The body of a young woman was found this morning by one of the staff members."
Alright, so that hadn't been gently put, but...there simply was no other way to say it.