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What does it matter that Vincent Nichols is to be made a cardinal?

What does it matter that Vincent Nichols is to be made a cardinal?

Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is to be made a cardinal. Though this has been widely expected for some time there had been some speculation that Pope Francis might go his own way and defy expectations. Given that Archbishop Nichols is already the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales what does this appointment actually mean for Catholics in the UK?

To answer that question really depends on the second question “What is a cardinal?” As so often with Roman Catholic institutions the answer is a complex mix of medieval traditions and subsequent developments. Cardinals acting as the electors of the new Pope were a medieval development. Prior to the 11th Century the people of Rome picked their own bishop, but this tradition had increasing come to mean the dominance of Roman noblemen and their militia. Accordingly, cardinals were originally a creation to wrest back control of the papacy from local noblemen.

Since then the role has developed enormously, often in line with diplomatic traditions and rules with rather bizarre rules concerning dress, heraldry and rank. Today the role bears some similarity to other rather archaic hangovers like the Queen’s honour lists and the House of Lords. Like the honours list some cardinals are simply honorary – for example no-one expects 98 year old Loris Francesco Capovilla (who is to be made a cardinal at the same time as Archbishop Nichols) to take on many additional duties. On the other hand many of those appointed are made to reflect the level of office the cardinal holds. It is notable that of the 19 appointments in February most are already senior Vatican officials.

To the extent that there are any practical requirements to being a cardinal there are two main aspects, one of which is a vaguely defined advisory role for the Pope and the other, which is the aspect most commonly seen, is the election of new popes. The latter is not actually something that all cardinals do; it is limited to those cardinals under the age of 80. There were no British voting cardinals at the last conclave (Cardinal Murphy O’Connor was too old and Cardinal O’Brien did not attend while he was facing accusations of sexual misconduct).   At any rate Papal elections are relatively rare and are hardly designed to be a democratic vote by representatives of different regions.

Though the elector role may not be all that important for the UK there are three potentially more relevant gains. Firstly, this represents a recognition of the relevance of the England and Wales Church. Second, it potentially gives the Archbishop a more prominent voice with which to give his opinions. Third, it is a recognition of the outstanding career that Vincent Nichols has had.

The first of those points has to be put into context. It was widely anticipated that this appointment would be made. Every Archbishop of Westminster since 1850 has been made a cardinal. Yet Francis has proved to be unpredictable before. Other places which have had even longer associations with cardinals were passed over, such as Venice, Brussels, Lisbon and Turin. Further, it is a tough case to argue that the English and Welsh Church is more relevant in the international Catholic context than São Salvador da Bahia, where Murilo Sebastião Ramos Krieger is primate of Brazil and was not made a cardinal. Nor was Óscar Julio Vian Morales, the Archbishop of Guatemala. Nor is the UK as significant a gesture as the prominent, but overlooked sees of Tokyo or Addis Ababa would have been in terms of reaching out to new mission fields. It is, in other words, a more notable gesture of support for the importance of the English and Welsh Church then it might at first seem.

This feeds into the second point of why this appointment is important for British Catholics. The fact that the Vincent Nichols has been chosen over other candidates who might, on paper, seem to represent larger, or more symbolically significant Catholic Churches suggests that there is hope in Rome for Nichols and the Catholic Church in England and Wales to become more prominent. It is believed that the appointment raises Nichol’s profile both within the Church and in wider society.  Thus, prominent Catholic journalist Clifford Longley is quoted by The Independent as saying “The role automatically gives you more respect, and he will have more weight in decision-making at the Vatican.” The congratulations from Justin Welby included a note that “this strengthens the church in this country.”

 

Catholics in the UK constitute a large minority group and one that has a lot to say on a wide range of issues. There has been a sense of disappointment then that Nichols has struggled slightly to get his message across. A strong advocate of social justice and ecumenism he has not attracted the headlines and coverage that his predecessor achieved, and has often been overlooked behind other UK religious figures, such as Welby and John Sentamu.  It is hoped that this appointment might help address that problem and allow Nichols a more prominent voice in the public sphere. Welby has been an excellent example of how a religious figure in the UK can provide a relevant and, on the whole, respected voice on social issues.

However, for all that this recognition of the UK’s importance and the more prominent voice it may give to Vincent Nichols it shouldn’t be lost sight of that  this appointment is important to British Catholic not least because it is a great achievement and caps the wonderful career of one of the leading British Catholics of his generation. He has held a succession of prominent posts over many years including being the Archbishop of Birmingham, General Secretary of the Catholic bishops Conference of England and Wales, Chair of the Catholic Education Service, been a member of the Joint Commission of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences and the Conference of European Churches, vice president of the Bible Society and a member of the board of the Christian Academy for European Development at Louvain. At 46, when he became the auxiliary bishop of Westminster in 1991, he was then the youngest Catholic bishop in the UK. His academic credentials are excellent too; he holds licenses in both theology and philosophy from the Gregorian University in Rome and degrees from Manchester University and Loyola University in Chicago. It is glittering career and one which is worthy of recognition among the UK’s Catholic population as a whole. For that reason, if nothing else, this appointment is important to, and should be welcomed by, British Catholics.

Ben Ryan is a researcher at Theos

Image from wikimedia available in the public domain

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