Arthur Roche

The Most Reverend
Arthur Roche
Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Roche when Bishop of Leeds in 2008
Appointed 26 June 2012
Predecessor Joseph Augustine Di Noia OP
Other posts Bishop Emeritus of Leeds [1]
Orders
Ordination 19 July 1975
by William Wheeler
Consecration 10 May 2001
by Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Personal details
Born (1950-03-06) 6 March 1950
Batley Carr, West Riding of Yorkshire, UK
Nationality British
Denomination Roman Catholic
Parents Arthur and Frances Roche
Previous post
Motto Duc in Altum (Put out into the deep)
Styles of
Arthur Roche
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Grace
Religious style Archbishop

Arthur Roche (born 6 March 1950) is an English archbishop of the Catholic Church. On 26 June 2012, he was named by Pope Benedict XVI to serve as the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, at which time he was raised to his current rank.

Roche had served as the ninth Bishop of Leeds, having served previously as Coadjutor Bishop of Leeds and, before that, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster, England's principal Catholic diocese.

Early life and ministry

Arthur Roche was born in the village of Batley Carr, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to Arthur and Frances Roche. He attended St Joseph's Primary School, St John Fisher High School and Christleton Hall. From 1969 to 1975, he studied at St Alban's College in Valladolid, Spain, where he obtained a degree in theology from the Comillas Pontifical University. Upon his return to England, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop William Wheeler for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds on 19 July 1975.

Roche's first appointment in the diocese was as assistant priest at Holy Rood Church in Barnsley until 1978, when he became private secretary to Bishop William Gordon Wheeler. He was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the diocese in 1979. From 1982 to 1989, he served on the staff of St Anne's Cathedral in Leeds, and helped to organise the visit of Pope John Paul II to York in May 1982.

Roche was the diocesan Financial Secretary from 1986 to 1991, during which time he was also named parish priest St Wilfrid's Church in January 1989. In 1991, he furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he was awarded a Licence in Theology (STL), and later became spiritual director of the Venerable English College. He was appointed General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (April 1996) and raised to rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness.

Episcopal career

On 12 April 2001, Roche was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Rusticiana by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 10 May in Westminster Cathedral from Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, with Bishops David Konstant and Victor Guazzelli serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of Leeds

Roche was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Leeds on 16 July 2002 and succeeded upon the resignation of Konstant on 7 April 2004, becoming the ninth Bishop of Leeds. In July 2002, he was elected chairman of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, which oversees the translation of the Mass into English.

Roche's name had been mentioned as a possible successor to Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster and thus leader of the Church in England and Wales.[3] He was even said to be the cardinal's favoured candidate.[4] His name had also been mentioned as a possible successor to Archbishop Kevin McDonald as Archbishop of Southwark. However, he was not appointed to either of those posts.

As the official chairman of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, Roche announced that the new translation of the Mass into English was ready. This new translation of the Roman Missal was introduced into Catholic parishes in the United Kingdom in September 2011.[5]

Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments

On 26 June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Roche as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, raising him to the dignity of Archbishop at the same time. Along with the dignity of archbishop, he was also given the title Bishop Emeritus of Leeds.[1] He was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Leeds on his new appointment to the Holy See to ensure that what was already in place or had been planned and authorised would go ahead.[6]

On 29 March 2014 Pope Francis named Roche as new member to the Pontifical Council for Culture [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Archbishop Arthur Roche Bishop Emeritus of Leeds". The Diocese of Leeds. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Off to Serve the Holy Father". Diocese of Leeds. 27 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Gledhill, Ruth (2008-11-22). "Pope asked to pick from four names as Archbishop of Westminster steps down". Times Online (London).
  4. ↑ Gledhill, Ruth (2009-03-19). "Arthur Roche still in running for Westminster". Times Online.
  5. ↑ "England and Wales: New Missal Translation Ready". zenit.org (Rome). 2011-01-18.
  6. ↑ "Bishop Roche heads for Rome". Diocese of Leeds. 26 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Pope confirms heads of Vatican's curial agencies". The Pilot. 29 March 2014.

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Álvaro Corrada del Río		 Titular Bishop of Rusticiana
2001–2002 		Succeeded by
Pierre Nguyên Van Tot
Preceded by
David Every Konstant		 Ninth Bishop of Leeds
2004–2012
(Coadjutor bishop 2002–2004) 		Succeeded by
Marcus Stock
Preceded by
Joseph Augustine Di Noia OP		 Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
2012–present 		Incumbent
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