Basil Hume
Cardinal priest | |
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Personal details | |
Born | George Haliburton Hume 2 March 1923 Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
Died | 17 June 1999 London, England | (aged 76)
Buried | Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine, Westminster Cathedral, London |
Nationality | British |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Parents |
|
Previous post(s) | Abbot of Saint Lawrence's Abbey, Ampleforth (1963–1976) |
Coat of arms |
George Basil Haliburton Hume
During his lifetime, Hume received wide respect from the general public which went beyond the Catholic community.[3] Following his death, a statue of him in his monastic habit and wearing his abbatial cross was erected in his home town of Newcastle upon Tyne outside St Mary's Cathedral (opposite Newcastle station); it was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II.[4]
Early life and ministry
Hume was born George Haliburton Hume at 4 Ellison Place in
Hume was a pupil at the independent school
After Ampleforth, Hume went on to study at
Hume was
Hume was a lifelong fan of jogging, squash and Newcastle United F.C.[6] He once described getting an autograph from Jackie Milburn, the Newcastle United legend, as one of his "proudest achievements".[7]
Archbishop
On 9 February 1976, Hume was appointed Archbishop of Westminster, the highest ranking prelate in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, by Pope Paul VI. He was not considered the most obvious choice for the post of archbishop as he had lacked visible pastoral experience of running a diocese and, as the first monk to hold the post since the 1850 restoration of the English hierarchy, he was seen to be something of an outsider. Receiving news of the appointment during dinner, Hume later remarked, "I must confess I did not enjoy the rest of the meal."[6]
Hume received his
Cardinal
This section may contain information not important or relevant to the article's subject. (January 2022) |
Styles of Basil Hume | |
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His Eminence | |
Spoken style | Your Eminence |
Informal style | Cardinal |
Hume was created
Early in his time as archbishop, Hume found himself involved in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. He visited Derry in April 1981 and stated in a letter to Edward Daly, the Bishop of Derry, that "a hunger strike to death is a form of violence to one's self and violence leads to violence."[9] After the death of Bobby Sands in May 1981, debate over the moral aspects of the strike in The Tablet and whether or not it constituted suicide took place. Following the deaths of Patsy O'Hara and Raymond McCreesh later that month, Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich asked the British government to acquiesce to the hunger strikers' basic demands, seeking to focus more on the question of injustice leading to such an event, while the English Catholic Church preferred to focus on the question of suicide more heavily.[citation needed]
Even after becoming an archbishop, Hume never ceased to see himself as a Benedictine monk first and to interpret his duties in the light of those of a Benedictine abbot: "He must hate faults but love the brothers." (
Hume was seen as moderate in his theological positions, trying to please both liberals and conservatives.[11] While condemning homosexual acts, for instance, he accepted the validity of love between gay people.[12] Moreover, he was opposed to women priests[13] but described most detractors of Humanae vitae as "good, conscientious and faithful".[14] Despite that comment, Hume supported Humanae vitae and regretted that the British government would rely on using condoms to address AIDS.[15]
Hume's time in office saw Catholicism become more accepted in British society than it had been for 400 years, culminating in the first visit of
In 1998, Hume asked John Paul II for permission to retire, expressing the wish to return to Ampleforth and devote his last years to peace and solitude, fly fishing and following his beloved Newcastle United Football Club. The request was refused.
In April 1999, Hume revealed that he had terminal cancer.[16] On 2 June of that year, Queen Elizabeth awarded him the Order of Merit.[16] He died just over two weeks later, June 17, in Westminster, London, at age 76.[17] After a funeral service broadcast live on national television, he was buried in Westminster Cathedral. John Paul II, in his message of condolence to the Church in England and Wales, praised Hume as a "shepherd of great spiritual and moral character".[18]
Hume was the last Archbishop of Westminster to employ a gentiluomo. The gentiluomo were a form of ceremonial bodyguard who accompanied the archbishops on formal occasions. As the role had become archaic, no new gentiluomo were appointed after the death of Hume's gentiluomo, Anthony Bartlett OBE, in 2001.
Hume was accused of "hushing up" a suspected sexual abuse scandal at
In 1984, Hume nominated Jimmy Savile as a member of the Athenaeum, a gentlemen's club in London's Pall Mall. Following the posthumous revelation of Savile's repeated sexual abuse of minors, members of the club have criticised Hume's nomination of him for causing embarrassment to the club.[20]
Legacy
Hume was regularly named Britain's most popular religious figure in opinion polls and this was attributed by some to the great humility and warmth with which he treated everyone he met, regardless of their religion or background.
- A statue of Hume was erected in his home town of Newcastle and unveiled by the Queen in 2002.[4]
- The Cardinal Hume Centre based in Westminster works to improve the lives of homeless young people, families and other vulnerable and socially excluded members of society.[21]
- The Cardinal Hume Rose is named after him.
- Cardinal Hume Catholic School has been opened in Beacon Lough, part of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. It replaces the ageing St Edmund Campion School and accommodates over 1,000 students.[22]
- The Hume Theatre of St Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford, is named after him. He opened it a few years before he died.
- The Hume building of St. Mary's Menston school, opened in 2001, is named after him.[23]
- The Basil Hume Scholarship is a set of scholarships awarded to new pupils at Ampleforth College.
Writings
- Hume, Basil (1997), Basil in Blunderland, London: Darton, Longman and Todd, ISBN 0-232-52242-1
- Hume, Basil (1980), Cardinal John Henry Newman: A saint for our time? (1st ed.), London: OCLC 1039148460.
He also wrote To Be a Pilgrim, Searching for God, The Mystery of Love and Footprints of the Northern Saints.[24]
Orders, medals and decorations
National orders
Foreign orders
- Order pro merito Melitensi
Other
- Member of the Athenaeum Club, London
- Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)
See also
References
- ^ Miranda, Salvador. "George Basil Hume". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- ^ "The Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine - Westminster Cathedral". Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- Commonweal. Archivedfrom the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
- ^ a b Urwin, Ray. "The statue of Cardinal George 'Basil' Hume outside St. Mary's Cathedral". northumbria.info. Archived from the original on 21 July 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- PMID 13836021.
- ^ a b "Jogger's Progress". Time. 1 March 1976.
- ^ Clive White; Nick Harris (29 August 1998). "Football: The Sweeper". London: Independent. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- Irish Times. 13 February 2017. Archivedfrom the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ This quotation, without attribution, was Hume's reply when, during a meeting of "Faith of Our Fathers", he was invited to support the proposed condemnation of a certain educational book and its author.
- ^ Diocese of Westminster. Cardinal George Basil Hume Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine 11 January 2005
- ^ "Basil Hume: From Monk to Cardinal". BBC. 25 June 1999. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ Time Asia. Milestones 28 June 1999
- ^ "Milestones". Time. 28 June 1999.
- ^ "Obituary of Cardinal Basil Hume" Archived 29 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, The Tablet, 26 June 1999, accessed 5 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Queen honours dying Hume". BBC. 2 June 1999. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ "Roman Catholic leader Hume dies". BBC. 17 June 1999. Archived from the original on 19 June 2003. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ "Pope's Tribute to Hume – full text". BBC. 25 June 1999. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ Ampleforth child abuse scandal hushed up by Basil Hume, Yorkshire Post, 18 November 2005.
- ^ Walker, Tim (10 October 2012). "Sir Jimmy Savile causes anguish at the Athenaeum". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ "Cardinal Hume Centre website". Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Cardinal Hume Catholic School website". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ^ "Bishop unveils school's new building and looks ahead to new sports court". Wharfedale Observer. 8 February 2001. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Basil in Blunderland; publisher's note on book jacket