William Cardinal Godfrey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Church positions | |
|---|---|
| See | Westminster |
| Title | Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster |
| Period in office | December 3, 1956—January 22, 1963 |
| Successor | John Cardinal Heenan † |
| Previous post | Archbishop of Liverpool |
| Created cardinal | December 15, 1958 |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | September 25, 1889 |
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England |
| Date of death | January 22, 1963 |
| Place of death | London, England |
| Styles of William Cardinal Godfrey |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Westminster |
William Cardinal Godfrey (September 25, 1889—January 22, 1963) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1956 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
William Godfrey was born in Liverpool to George and Mary Godfrey. He leaned towards the priesthood from an early age, never taking another career into serious consideration[1]. After studying at Ushaw College and the Venerable English College, he was ordained on October 28, 1916 in Rome. He then finished his studies in 1918, obtaining his doctorates in divinity and philosophy in 1917, and did pastoral work in Liverpool until 1919. Godfrey taught Classics, Philosophy and Theology at Ushaw from 1918 to 1930, which was the same year he was raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate of His Holiness (October 28) and rector of the English College. At the College, the strict priest was known to his students as "Uncle Bill". In 1935, Godfrey was made a member of the Pontifical Commission to Malta, and he was in official attendance at the 1937 coronation of King George VI.
On November 21, 1938, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Cius and the first Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain, Gibraltar and Malta. Godfrey, who was the first papal representative to England since the Reformation[2], received his episcopal consecration on the following December 21 from Raffaele Cardinal Rossi, OCD, with Archbishop Luigi Traglia and Bishop Ralph Hayes serving as co-consecrators, in the chapel of the English College. He was chargé d'affaires of the Holy See to Poland in 1943, and was made Archbishop of Liverpool on November 10, 1953.
Pope Pius XII later, and not surprisingly[3], named Godfrey as Archbishop of Westminster, and thus the ranking prelate of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, on December 3, 1956. During his installation, Godfrey condemned Communism and professed his mission as returning England "back to the love of Christ"[4]. He also called for English Catholics to feed their pets less during Lent[5], and was vehemently opposed to birth control[6]. Godfrey was created Cardinal Priest of Ss. Nereo ed Achilleo by Pope John XXIII in the consistory of December 15, 1958. He lived long enough to only attend the first session of the Second Vatican Council in 1962.
The Cardinal died from a heart attack in London, at age 73[7]. He is buried in Westminster Cathedral.
[edit] Trivia
[edit] References
- ^ TIME Magazine. New Archbishop February 18, 1957
- ^ TIME Magazine. Pope & Democracy December 5, 1938
- ^ TIME Magazine. New Archbishop February 18, 1957
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ TIME Magazine. Lent for Man & Beast February 24, 1961
- ^ TIME Magazine. Milestones February 1, 1963
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ TIME Magazine. The New Cardinals December 22, 1958
- ^ TIME Magazine. New Archbishop February 18, 1957
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Richard Downey |
Archbishop of Liverpool 1953–1956 |
Succeeded by John Carmel Heenan |
| Preceded by Bernard William Griffin |
Archbishop of Westminster 1956–1963 |
Succeeded by John Carmel Heenan |
