Vincent Gerard Nichols | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop of Westminster President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales | |
 Official portrait, 2015 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Province | Westminster |
| Diocese | Westminster |
| Appointed | 3 April 2009 |
| Installed | 21 May 2009 |
| Predecessor | Cormac Murphy-O'Connor |
| Other posts | |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 21 December 1969 by Paul Marcinkus |
| Consecration | 24 January 1992 by Basil Hume |
| Created cardinal | 22 February 2014 byFrancis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vincent Gerard Nichols (1945-11-08)8 November 1945 (age 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Residence | Archbishop's House, Ambrosden Avenue, London |
| Parents | Henry and Mary (née Russell) Nichols |
| Motto | Fortis ut Mors Dilectio (Love Is Strong As Death) |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Vincent Nichols | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence orCardinal |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Ordination history of Vincent Nichols | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| Part of aseries on the |
| Catholic Church in England and Wales |
|---|
 |
| Organisation |
| History |
| Associations |
Vincent Gerard Nichols (born 8 November 1945) is anEnglish Catholic prelate who has served asArchbishop of Westminster since 2009. He was theArchbishop of Birmingham from 2000 to 2009 and is president of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made acardinal in 2014.[1]
On 8 November 2020, Nichols offered his customary resignation toPope Francis on his 75th birthday. However, the Pontiff asked him to remain on as archbishop until the appointment of a successor.[2] He participated in the2025 papal conclave that electedPope Leo XIV, describing the experience as "immensely peaceful".[3]
TheIndependent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has criticised Nichols for claims of lack of personal responsibility, of compassion towards victims and for allegedly prioritizing the reputation of the Church above the suffering of victims. In response, an ecclesiastical spokesperson declared that Nichols would not be resigning his cardinalate following the inquiry's criticisms, as he was "determined to put it right".[2]
Vincent Gerard Nichols was born on 8 November 1945[4] inCrosby, a town nearLiverpool, then located in Lancashire[b] to Henry Joseph and Mary (née Russell) Nichols, both teachers. He said that he felt a calling to the priesthood as a teenager.[5]
He attended St Peter and Paul's Junior School on Liverpool Road, Crosby before joiningSt Mary's College, Crosby,[6] from 1956 to 1963. From St. Mary's he entered theVenerable English College, Rome. He wasordained priest for theArchdiocese of Liverpool on 21 December 1969.[7] He obtained anSTL in Theology & Philosophy from thePontifical Gregorian University in 1970.
Upon his return toBritain, Nichols studied at theUniversity of Manchester for a year and earned an MA degree in Theology in 1971, specialising in the theology ofSt. John Fisher. He then served asassistant pastor atSt Mary's Church, Wigan,[8] as well as chaplain toSt John Rigby College, Wigan,[9] andSt Peter's Catholic High School, Wigan.[10][4]
He received a MEd degree fromLoyola University Chicago in 1974 and was assigned to St. Anne's Church inEdge Hill in 1975. Father Nichols spent a total of 14 years in the Liverpool archdiocese. In 1980, he was appointed director of theUpholland Northern Institute. He also sat on thearchiepiscopal council.[4]
Nichols served as General Secretary of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) from 1984 to 1993.[4] In addition to his role within the CBCEW, he was moderator of the Steering Committee of theCouncil of Churches for Britain and Ireland from 1989 to 1996.[4] He was chairman of theCatholic Education Service from 1998.[11]
On 5 November 1991, Nichols was appointedAuxiliary bishop ofWestminster andTitular bishop ofOthona byPope John Paul II. He received hisepiscopal consecration on 24 January 1992 from CardinalBasil Hume,OSB, withArchbishop Derek Worlock andBishop Alan Clark serving asco-consecrators, atWestminster Cathedral.
At the age of 46, he was the youngest Catholic bishop in the United Kingdom.[5] He selected as his episcopalmotto:Fortis Ut Mors Dilectio, meaning, "Love Is Strong As Death"Song of Solomon 8:6.[12]
As an auxiliary, Nichols served asvicar forNorth London. He was appointed to the finance advisory committee of the National Catholic Fund in 1994 and to the CBCEW's Committee for the Roman Colleges in 1995, and became Episcopal Liaison of the CBCEW for the National Conference of Diocesan Financial Secreatries in 1996.[4]
In 1998, he was made chairman, of the CBCEW: Department for Catholic Education and Formation,[13] as well as chairman of theCatholic Education Service.[4] Nichols represented the European bishops at the November 1998Synod of Bishops from Oceania, and was a special secretary at the Synod of Bishops for Europe in September 1999. He was celebrant of the Requiem Mass for Cardinal Hume in 1999.
On 15 February 2000, Nichols was appointed the eighthArchbishop of Birmingham byPope John Paul II, succeeding the French-bornMaurice Couve de Murville. He wasinstalled as archbishop on the following 29 March. He received thepallium fromPope John Paul II in Rome on 29 June 2000, theFeast of Saints Peter and Paul, at the same time asCormac Murphy-O'Connor received his as Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster. Prior to his appointment toBirmingham, he had been considered a leading contender to replace the late Cardinal Hume asArchbishop of Westminster;[14] the position went to Murphy-O'Connor, although Nichols would later succeed him.
In 2001, Nichols became chairman of the management board of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults. He is also a patron of the International Young Leaders Network[15] based atBlackfriars, Oxford. In 2008, he was named President of the Commission for Schools, Universities, and Catechesis in the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe. He is the lead episcopal trustee of the three English seminaries outside the United Kingdom – The RoyalEnglish College, Valladolid, as well as theBeda College and the Venerable English Colleges in Rome. He is assisted in this role by two further episcopal trustees – ArchbishopArthur Roche, Secretary of theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, andMark Jabalé,Bishop Emeritus of Menevia. He undertakes at least one visitation of each of these seminaries in each academic year.
Nichols provided the commentary for theBBC's coverage of thefuneral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
By virtue of his status asordinary of the Birmingham diocese, Nichols played a leading role in the cause of theCanonisation of John Henry Newman, which took place in 2019. In 2008 Nichols oversaw the opening of Newman's grave inWorcestershire, a practice usual in such cases, undertaken with a view to translating Newman's remains to theBirmingham Oratory. However, no human remains could be recovered. Likewise as archbishop, Nichols was Chairman of the Governing Body of Newman University College (nowNewman University).
Nichols has written two books:Promise of Future Glory andMissioners; and it was he who set up the "Walk with Me" programme, which sought to bring people together in spiritual accompaniment through the seasons of the Church’s year. The initiative later spread to other dioceses.
Nichols was appointed the eleventhArchbishop of Westminster byPope Benedict XVI on 3 April 2009, and solemnly installed on 21 May 2009.[16] The diocese, the principal see of theChurch in England and Wales, serves 472,600 Catholics.[17] It was reported that Benedict XVI personally selected Nichols for the post after theCongregation for Bishops failed to reach a consensus.[18]
In the time leading up to the appointment, Nichols' name had been repeatedly mentioned as a possible successor to CardinalCormac Murphy-O'Connor, and his name was the only one to be on bothternas, or shortlist of candidates submitted to the Congregation for Bishops.[18] A group of English Catholic bishops, as well as a member of parliament, had even expressed their concerns of promoting Nichols to Westminster to theApostolic Nuncio,Faustino Sainz Muñoz, citing the archbishop's ambition.[19]
In his decision to accept the "daunting" role of Archbishop of Westminster, Nichols said he "just swallowed hard and said 'yes.'"[20]
He succeeded Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2007. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor described his successor as "competent, compassionate, and experienced."[20]
As expected,[20] Nichols was elected President of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales by unanimous acclamation on 30 April 2009.[21]
He received his secondpallium fromPope Benedict XVI in Rome on 29 June 2009, theFeast of Saints Peter and Paul.[22]
He was appointed a member of the Congregation for Bishops on 16 December 2013 byPope Francis.[23] On 19 February 2014. he was appointed a member of theCongregation for the Oriental Churches.
Nichols wrote to Pope Francis offering his resignation as archbishop as of his 75th birthday on 8 November 2020,as is customary; however, Pope Francis asked him to continue in his functions.[2]
_(cropped).jpg)
On 12 January 2014Pope Francis announced that Nichols would be created acardinal at theconsistory of the Church held on 22 February 2014. Cardinal Nichols was formally elevated to theSacred College of Cardinals by Pope Francis on 22 February 2014, receiving the traditional redbiretta and gold ring during a ceremony inSaint Peter's Basilica. He was createdCardinal-Priest ofSantissimo Redentore e Sant'Alfonso in Via Merulana.
His coat of arms includes a blue wavy band on a silver shield to represent theRiver Mersey, scallop shells to represent the Venerable English College in Rome, thered rose of Lancashire and anchors representing Liverpool: surmounted by the customary redgalero (ecclesiastical hat) with thirty red cords and tassels (for a cardinal).
On 8 September 2022, Nichols took part in thestate funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. He gave thanks toElizabeth II's "commitment to the Commonwealth throughout her reign", during a three-minute intercession. Nichols' presence represented the second time that theArchbishop of Westminster participated in a Royal funeral, in modern British history. It had previously occurred whenCormac Murphy-O'Connor participated in thefuneral of Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002.[24]
On 6 May 2023, Nichols participated in theCoronation of King Charles III. Nichols' presence represented the first time that a Catholic prelate participated in the coronation of a British monarch since Elizabeth I was crowned by Catholic BishopOwen Oglethorpe at the time of theProtestant Reformation.[25]
Nichols took part as acardinal elector in the2025 papal conclave that electedPope Leo XIV.[26]
Nichols was sitting nearby when Prevost was asked if he accepted his election and which name he had chosen, Nichols said “He replied as calmly and clearly as you like,” he says. “This is a Pope with great stability of character and clarity of mind.”[27]
He ceased to be a cardinal elector in any future conclave on 8 November 2025.
Once considered to beliberal,[5] Nichols was described byDamian Thompson ofThe Daily Telegraph as having moved to more conservative positions.[18][28] Elena Curti ofThe Tablet suggested this was the result of advice early in his career from Archbishop Worlock to make himself more "Vatican-friendly" if he was to get ahead in the Church hierarchy.[29] Before his enthronement as Archbishop of Westminster, he was vocal in defending the public reputation of the Catholic Church, notably criticising theBBC for what he called "biased and hostile" programming, which contributed to the decision by the BBC not to show the animated sitcomPopetown.[30]
In August 2010, Nichols expressed support for the echoes ofCatholic social teaching emerging in the language of the newCoalition Government. In particular, he supported Prime MinisterDavid Cameron's call for a "Big Society". Nichols said, "It gives us an experience of being together in a place that turns things on their head a bit". He expressed excitement at the potential for the Coalition and wrote that he had become disillusioned with the previousLabour government: "The last government was too overarching. In attempting to create a state that provided everything, it ended up losing touch with the people it was trying to serve."[31] In April 2011, however, he was critical about the effectiveness of the Big Society, saying, "It is all very well to deliver speeches about the need for greater voluntary activity, but there needs to be some practical solutions. The Big Society [...] has no teeth [...] and should not be used as a cloak for masking central cuts"[32]
Nichols defended the ban of the church onCommunion for the divorced and remarried. He hoped that theSynod on the Family would clarify the teachings of the church on theEucharist. He said that although usually one partakes in Communion based on one's own conscience, the divorced remarried publicly defied church teachings.[33]
While he was Archbishop of Birmingham, he had to respond to thesexual abuse cases that were alleged in that diocese. Among his first public acts in his role as Archbishop of Westminster was a statement on the issue of clericalphysical andsexual abuse in Ireland following agovernment report into the running of industrial schools. In his own words: "Every time there is a single incident of abuse in the Catholic Church it is a scandal. And I'm glad it's a scandal." He was, however, criticised widely on the issue of priests facing up to their crimes, where he claimed, "That takes courage, and also we shouldn't forget that this account today will also overshadow all of the good that they also did."[34]
In 2020 theIndependent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said of Nichols, now a cardinal and the senior Catholic cleric in England and Wales, "There was no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility".[2] Nichols, according to the report, protected the reputation of the Church rather than protecting victims and lacked compassion towards victims.[35] A spokesperson for theCatholic Church in England and Wales stated that Nichols would not resign from his position following the report, since he was "determined to put it right".[2]
Nichols played a prominent role in producing the 1996 CBCEW document,Common Good and Catholic Social Teaching,[36] in which the English Catholic bishops condemned the rhetoric of greed in a move interpreted as an endorsement ofNew Labour.[5]
In 2004, he prominently intervened in an argument pitching religious offence against artistic freedom when he criticised Birmingham Repertory Theatre for showing the playBehzti (Dishonour), which depicted scenes of sexual abuse and murder in aSikh temple. He argued that the Sikh community had acted in a "reasonable and measured way" in representing their concerns."Such a deliberate, even if fictional, violation of the sacred place of the Sikh religion demeans the sacred places of every religion. People of all faiths, therefore, will be offended by this presentation."
In March 2009, he allowed the Catholic chapel at a Roman Catholic college in Birmingham to be used for the commemoration of the birth of theIslamicprophetMuhammad with interfaith debate in the college chapel, sparking some local controversy.[37] Nichols defended the location of the celebration, saying through his spokesman, "Christian/Muslim dialogue is an important part of the Catholic Church's agenda."[38]
In November 2009, he "offered flowers at the altar to the deities" during a visit to theHindu Temple in Neasden.[39] When the action occasioned press comment, details of the episode were removed from theDiocese of Westminster's website.[40]
On 20 October 2009, CardinalWilliam Levada and ArchbishopJoseph Di Noia held a press conference in which they announced that Pope Benedict XVI was preparing to release anapostolic constitution that would allowAnglicans, both laity and clergy, to join the Catholic Church in groups and maintain their corporate identity in new Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans entering the Roman Catholic Church.[41]
A joint statement on the new protocol from Nichols and the Anglican Communion's head, ArchbishopRowan Williams of Canterbury, was issued at the same time in London.[42] The joint statement said that the development reflected "substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition" and affirmed "on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion", including the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).
However, CanonGiles Fraser, an Anglican canon ofSt Paul's Cathedral, preaching at an ecumenical service at Nichols' own cathedral in Westminster, suggested "...there are some – and indeed in both Churches – who do not see it like this at all. For from the Anglican perspective, this new invitation to swim theTiber can sometimes have a slightly predatory feel; in corporate terms, a little like a takeover bid in some broader power play of church politics."[43]
Following the ascent ofArthur Roche to theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and his "clarifying"Responsa ad Dubia supplement toTraditionis custodes, Nichols moved to prohibit the celebration of theSacrament of Confirmation in theArchdiocese of Westminster according to the traditional Latin rites of theCatholic Church, as they were celebrated before the institution of theNovus Ordo in 1971 (created afterVatican II).[44] This affected the annual traditional Catholic confirmations atSt James's, Spanish Place inLondon (part of the archdiocese of Westminster), where, before 2022, they had been celebrated underindult for the last 20 years.[44] This put Nichols at variance with theLatin Mass Society,[45] though confirmations in pre-Vatican II rites continue in England and Wales through the canonically irregularSociety of St. Pius X and theEastern Catholic Churches.
In February 2024 Nichols announced that the Latin mass planned for thePaschal Triduum, that had annually been held atSt. Mary Moorfields, would be cancelled. This would result in the first time since the 1990s that the Triduum would not be celebrated in the archdiocese according to the old rites.[46]
Nichols supported the effort to have Catholic adoption agencies exempted from sexual orientation regulations.[47] His position was qualified by his statement during aBBC interview that he would not oppose adoption by a gay person that was single.Mary Ann Sieghart, a journalist, commenting forThe Times on Nichols' statements on the subject, observed that "had the Catholic position been more hardline, it might have stood more of a chance."[48]
In 2012 Nichols condemnedsame-sex marriage proposals, calling it an "undemocratic, Orwellian shambles".[49] Nichols also told teachers at Catholic schools that they could not marry divorced people, enter intocivil unions or same-sex marriages and yet retain their jobs.[50] In 2013, Cardinal Nichols, under pressure from the Vatican, put an end to Masses for LGBT people at the historic 18th-centuryOur Lady of the Assumption Church in Warwick Street, Soho. Cardinal Nichols arranged, however, for the LGBT community to move to theChurch of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street in nearbyMayfair and attended their first Mass there in 2013.[51] TheOur Lady of the Assumption Church in Warwick Street, Soho, has since been used for theAnglican Form of theRoman Rite by thePersonal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Archbishop Nichols said: "The moral teaching of the Church is that the proper use of our sexual faculty is within a marriage, between a man and a woman, open to the procreation and nurturing of new human life."[52]
In 2006, Nichols denounced then-Secretary for EducationAlan Johnson's plan to introduce a quota for non-Catholic pupils at Catholic schools as "insulting", "divisive" and "ill-thought-out, unworkable and contradictory of empirical evidence". He mobilised over 2,000 Catholic school headteachers in his campaign and the plan was eventually dropped.[citation needed]
In August 2009, he warned that in his view the overuse by young people of onlinesocial networking websites (such asFacebook andMySpace) encouraged teenagers to build "transient relationships" that can leave them traumatised and even suicidal when they collapse: "We're losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that's necessary for living together and building a community."[53][54]
In October 2010 Nichols made a defence of Catholicprison chaplaincy in a speech atHM Prison Brixton in London. He criticised suggestions that amid budget cuts the state should only fund a single "generic chaplaincy" in British prisons. He said:
There are some today who seem to see a future with some sort of 'generic chaplaincy', providing spiritual support irrespective of the church family of the person, as part of a package of care and rehabilitation to all ... That is, of course, valuable and no chaplain would or should turn away any person who seeks help. But where I part company from such thinking is in the idea that a generic approach can ever be truly respectful or sufficient.[55]
In 2011, Nichols and former MPAnn Widdecombe supported a petition to stop the owners of a London pub from changing its name. "The Cardinal", near Westminster Cathedral, was due to be renamed the "Windsor Castle" when it reopened after refurbishment. More than 150 people signed the petition organised by the Independent Catholic News newspaper. The pub had been named after a former Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster,Henry Edward Manning. Nichols said that although the pub was originally called the Windsor Castle, the namethe Cardinal has a better historical connection to the area and that "The reason why it was changed was because of the great impact that Cardinal Manning had on the life of London".[56] Despite the petition, the pub was renamed.[57]
Nichols has urged Catholic academics, charities, politicians, theologians and lay Catholics to work towards the"Church for the poor" thatPope Francis advocated. Nichols believes society has a moral imperative
(…) to attend first to those who are most vulnerable, and at present that includes rising numbers of children. (…) there are growing numbers of hungry pupils in classrooms across the [UK] country and many accounts of parents foregoing their own meals to provide for their children. (…) A social safety net that fails to protect essentials such as food and shelter for those who cannot work, is not worthy of being regarded as a safety net at all.
Nichols stressed the need for fair wages, stating the private sector, thesocial sector, the state and all who have people depending on them for a livelihood are challenged by this.[58]
Nichols argued in 2014 that government changes to social security had"torn apart" the"basic safety net" for very poor families and called them a"disgrace". He claimed that people are risking"destitution" and that the administration of social security has become steadily more"punitive", forcing people to rely onfood banks and leaving them with nothing if forms are filled in incorrectly.
So, if applicants don't get it right then they have to wait and they have to wait for 10 days, for two weeks – with nothing, with nothing. And that's why the role of food banks has become so crucial for so many people in Britain today. And for a country of our affluence that quite frankly is a disgrace.[59]
He is the patron ofthe Passage, a day centre for homeless people founded by theDaughters of Charity near Westminster Cathedral.
As Cardinal Nichols, he spoke out against the use of arguments and campaigns which stoke up "distress" about foreigners coming to the UK. His comments came amid a furore over a £1.5 million advertising campaign by theUK Independence Party which includes billboards suggesting to people that millions of foreigners are after their jobs.[60]
During a visit to theport of Tilbury in June 2015, Cardinal Nichols paid tribute to seafarers' professionalism and dedication and the sacrifices they make to support their families.[61] He said that theChurch, through its maritime mission agency, theApostleship of the Sea, would continue to support their faith and welfare needs.
On 3 November 2016, it was reported that Cardinal Nichols officially acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales had pressed young, unmarried mothers in the country to put their children up for adoption in agencies linked to the Catholic Church throughout the decades following World War II and offered an apology.[62]
In December 2012 Archbishop Vincent Nichols asked the Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain and myself to offer meeting spaces on Farm Street Parish premises for the LGBT Catholic Community which had previously met at Our Lady of The Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street. In March 2013, LGBT Catholics joined the regular congregation at the evening Mass, followed by a reception and meeting with the Archbishop and members of the parish. Over the following weeks, on every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, the group gathered to celebrate Mass together with regular parishioners at the new time of 5.30pm, and to meet for tea and coffee afterwards in the parish hall. Mgr Keith Barltrop, Parish Priest of St Mary of the Angels, Bayswater, is the Archbishop's personal liaison with the group.
The Windsor Castle used to be called The Cardinal but has since undergone a full refurb and a name change.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Birmingham 15 February 2000–21 May 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Westminster 21 May 2009–present | Incumbent |
| President of Bishops' Conference of England and Wales 2009–present | ||
| Preceded by | Cardinal Priest ofSantissimo Redentore e Sant'Alfonso in Via Merulana 22 February 2014–present | |
| Province of Westminster |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Province of Birmingham | ||
| Province of Liverpool | ||
| Province of Southwark | ||
| Province of Cardiff-Menevia | ||
| Extra-provincial (Latin) | ||
| Eastern Catholic | ||
| Former | ||
| Apostolic nuncio | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
