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Bernard Longley

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Template:Infobox bishopbiog

Styles of
Bernard Longley
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Grace
Religious styleMonsignor
Posthumous stylenot applicable

Bernard Longley (born 5 April 1955) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was named the Archbishop-elect of Birmingham on 1 October 2009, and installed by Bishop David McGough and presented with his crozier by Archbishop Vincent Nichols, his predecessor, in St Chad's Cathedral at a Solemn Mass on 8 December 2009, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, attended by 600 people. Previously he was an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster.[1]

Early life and ministry

Bernard Longley was born in Manchester and was educated at Xaverian College in Rusholme. He later studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and New College, Oxford.[2] He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton on 12 December 1981.[3] He then served as an assistant priest at St. Joseph's Church in Epsom and as a chaplain to psychiatric hospitals.[2]

Longley became Surrey Chairman of Diocesan Commission for Christian Unity in 1991, and National Ecumenical Officer at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales in 1996.[2] From 1987 to 1996, he taught dogmatic theology at St. John's Seminary in Wonersh. In 1999, he was named Moderator of the Steering Committee of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, as well as Assistant General Secretary of Catholic Bishops' Conference with responsibilities for Ecumenism and Interfaith Affairs.[2]

Episcopal career

Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster

On 4 January 2003 Longley was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Zarna by Pope John Paul II.[3] He said he was "greatly honoured" and "very much overwhelmed" by his appointment.[4] Longley received his episcopal consecration on the following 24 January from Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, with Bishops Arthur Roche and Kieran Conry serving as co-consecrators.[3]

In 2007, Longley played a prominent role in the integration of the independent Soho Masses Pastoral Council, a group that sponsors Masses for homosexual Catholics, into the Archdiocese.[5][6] The Bishop helped to form an agreement that moved the group's liturgies from an Anglican parish to a Catholic church, as well as a statement on ministry to homosexual Catholics that, while following Catholic teaching on homosexuality, underscored that "the Church's pastoral outreach recognises that baptised persons with a homosexual inclination continue to look to the Church for a place where they might live in authentic human integrity and holiness of life."[5] In a BBC interview, Longley said that "it's never been the practice of the Catholic Church, as it were, to 'means-test' people before admitting them to the celebration of the Eucharist. It would be a mistake to jump to conclusions or to generalise about anybody's particular lifestyle, or their state of grace."[5]

Longley is the head of the Diocesan Pastoral Board and has responsibilities for the Deaneries of Camden, Hackney, Islington, Marylebone, Tower Hamlets, and Westminster.[2] He is considered to be a conservative who is "friendly" to the traditional Latin Mass,[7] but also a "born diplomat."[8] His name was mentioned as a possible successor to Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster and thus often considered to be the 'head' of the Church in England and Wales,[6][7][9] but the position ultimately went to Archbishop Vincent Nichols.

Archbishop of Birmingham

On 1 October 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Longley as the archbishop of Birmingham. He succeeds Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who was translated from Birmingham to Westminster earlier in 2009. He was installed at St Chad's Cathedral on the 8th December 2009, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Before the ceremony, he spoke of how much he was looking forward to joining both the Catholic and wider Christian communities in the Midlands and contributing to their work. Longley will play a leading role in the plans for the beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman, expected to take place in Birmingham in 2010, and the papal visit to the UK which has been envisaged for 2010.[10] [1]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Archbishop of Birmingham
1 October 2009– 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ "Pope Benedict XVI announces new Archbishop of Birmingham".
  2. ^ a b c d e "Bishop Bernard Longley". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster. 2006-02-24.
  3. ^ a b c "Bishop Bernard Longley". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ "New Auxiliary bishops appointed to Westminster". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster. 2003-01-06.
  5. ^ a b c Palmo, Rocco (2007-02-15). "Church of the (Soho) Masses". Whispers in the Loggia.
  6. ^ a b Palmo, Rocco (2009-03-12). "The Choice?". Whispers in the Loggia.
  7. ^ a b Thompson, Damian (2009-03-12). "Bernard Longley to be Archbishop of Westminster, says leading Italian commentator". The Daily Telegraph.
  8. ^ Thompson, Damian (2009-03-13). "Congregation for Bishops 'fails to reach decision' on Westminster. What's going on?". The Daily Telegraph.
  9. ^ Gledhill, Ruth (2009-03-12). "Cardinals meet today to chose the next Archbishop of Westminster". The Times. London.
  10. ^ "Birmingham Diocese welcomes new Archbishop".
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