Ethan Walker
The Archbishop of Westminster is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales, and is elected president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Vincent Nichols is the eleventh Archbishop of Westminster and was appointed in 2009. He was elevated to cardinal in 2014, becoming the 43rd English cardinal since the 12th century.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current Cardinal of Westminster | Vincent Nichols |
| Date of birth | 8 November 1945 |
| Appointed Archbishop of Westminster | 3 April 2009 |
| Installed as Archbishop of Westminster | 21 May 2009 |
| Appointed Cardinal | 22 February 2014 |
| Number of parishes in the Diocese of Westminster | 214 |
| Area covered by the Diocese of Westminster | 3,634 km2 |
| Cardinal before Vincent Nichols | Cormac Murphy-O'Connor |
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What You'll Learn
The Archbishop of Westminster
Historically, the Catholic jurisdiction of the London area was headed by the Vicar Apostolic of the London District or titular bishop, appointed by the pope. The Diocese of Westminster, one of the newly restored dioceses, was the sole Metropolitan See at that time. However, under Pope Pius X, the provinces of Liverpool and Birmingham were later created, and Westminster retained only Northampton, Nottingham, Portsmouth, and Southwark as suffragan dioceses.
Vincent Nichols, born on November 8, 1945, in Crosby, Liverpool, is the current Archbishop of Westminster. He was appointed the eleventh Archbishop of Westminster by Pope Benedict XVI on April 3, 2009, and was solemnly installed on May 21, 2009. He succeeded Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2007. Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Westminster, Nichols served as the Archbishop of Birmingham from 2000 to 2009.
On November 8, 2020, Nichols offered his customary resignation to Pope Francis on his 75th birthday. However, the Pope requested that he remain in his position until a successor is appointed.
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Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Vincent Gerard Nichols, born on November 8, 1945, is an English Catholic prelate who has served as the Archbishop of Westminster since 2009. He was appointed the eleventh Archbishop of Westminster by Pope Benedict XVI on April 3, 2009, and was solemnly installed on May 21, 2009.
Nichols was elevated to cardinal on February 22, 2014, becoming the 43rd English cardinal since the 12th century. He is the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and was elected to this position by unanimous acclamation on April 30, 2009.
Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Westminster, Nichols served as the Archbishop of Birmingham from 2000 to 2009. He was appointed to this position by Pope John Paul II on February 15, 2000, and succeeded the French-born Maurice Couve de Murville. In 1998, he was made chairman of the Catholic Education Service and represented the European bishops at the November 1998 Synod of Bishops from Oceania.
Throughout his career, Cardinal Nichols has represented the Catholic Church at significant national events, including the services following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III. He has also been instrumental in building strong relationships with the Church of England and other faith groups.
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Westminster Cathedral
The cathedral was designed by John Francis Bentley in a 9th-century Christian neo-Byzantine style, made almost entirely of brick without steel reinforcements. Construction was completed in 1903, and the cathedral is considered a "masterpiece in striped brick and stone". It features a baldacchino over the high altar, which is one of the largest structures of its kind, and is richly inlaid with coloured marbles, lapis lazuli, pearl, and gold. The baldacchino is supported by eight columns of yellow marble from Verona, while the organ galleries are supported by white and pink marble columns from Norway. The cathedral also features hundreds of beautiful mosaics and Stations of the Cross produced by renowned English sculptor Eric Gill.
Westminster is one of the smallest dioceses in England and Wales in geographical area, but it is the largest in terms of Catholic population and priests, serving 472,600 Catholics. The Archbishop of Westminster is often made a cardinal, and all previous archbishops have become cardinals. Vincent Nichols was elevated to cardinal in 2014, becoming the 43rd English cardinal since the 12th century.
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The Diocese of Westminster
Historically, the Catholic jurisdiction of the London area was headed by the Vicar Apostolic of the London District or titular bishop, appointed by the Pope. The Diocese of Westminster was one of the newly restored dioceses after the Ecclesiastical Titles Act was repealed in 1851. Since the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1850, each Archbishop of Westminster has been created a cardinal by the Pope, often as the only cardinal in England. The Archbishop of Westminster is also referred to as the Primate of England and Wales, although this title is not legally correct in the United Kingdom.
The current Archbishop, Vincent Nichols, was appointed Archbishop of Westminster in 2009 and was made a cardinal in 2014. He previously served as Archbishop of Birmingham from 2000 to 2009 and has held various other positions within the Catholic Church. He was elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and is now considered the de facto spokesman of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
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Cardinal Basil Hume
On February 9, 1976, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Westminster, the highest-ranking Catholic priest in England and Wales. Later that year, he was made a cardinal. He was the first monk to be made Archbishop since 1850, when the Roman Catholic hierarchy was restored in England and Wales. As a cardinal, he was created Cardinal-Priest of San Silvestro in Capite by Paul VI in the consistory of May 24, 1976. He served as an archbishop and cardinal until his death.
During his tenure, Catholicism became more accepted in Britain than it had been in 400 years. He was well-respected by the general public, both within and outside the Catholic community, and was known for the humility and warmth with which he treated everyone he met, regardless of their religion or background. He was regularly named Britain's most popular religious figure in opinion polls.
In addition to his ecclesiastical duties, Hume was involved in several other endeavours. He helped found the Cardinal Hume Centre in 1986, which works to improve the lives of homeless youth, families, and other vulnerable and socially excluded individuals. Additionally, he authored several books, including "Cardinal John Henry Newman: A Saint for Our Time?" and "To Be a Pilgrim".
Hume passed away on June 17, 1999, at the age of 76, from inoperable stomach cancer. His funeral was televised nationally, and he was buried in Westminster Cathedral. A statue of him was erected in his hometown of Newcastle and unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
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Frequently asked questions
Cardinal Vincent Nichols is the eleventh Archbishop of Westminster. He was appointed in 2009 and elevated to cardinal in 2014.
The Diocese of Westminster is the principal see of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is home to Westminster Cathedral, the mother church for Catholics in England and Wales.
The Cardinal of Westminster is appointed by the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Vincent Nichols as the Archbishop of Westminster.
