Basil Hume


Basil Hume

Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster
Primate of England and Wales
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ProvinceWestminster
Appointed9 February 1976
Installed25 March 1976
Term ended17 June 1999
PredecessorJohn Carmel Heenan
SuccessorCormac Murphy-O'Connor
Other post(s)Cardinal Priest of San Silvestro in Capite
Previous post(s)Abbot of Saint Lawrence's Abbey, Ampleforth (1963–1976)
Orders
Ordination23 July 1950
by Thomas Shine
Consecration26 March 1976
by Bruno Heim
Created cardinal24 May 1976
by Paul VI
RankCardinal priest
Personal details
Born
George Haliburton Hume

(1923-03-02)2 March 1923
Died17 June 1999(1999-06-17) (aged 76)
London, England
BuriedChapel of St Gregory and St Augustine, Westminster Cathedral, London
NationalityBritish
DenominationRoman Catholic
Parents
  • Sir William Errington Hume
  • Maria Elizabeth Hume (née Tisserye)
Coat of armsBasil Hume's coat of arms
Memorial plaque at Hume's birthplace, 4 Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne

George Basil Hume OSB OM (born George Haliburton Hume; 2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in 1999. He was a priest of the Benedictine Order and was made a cardinal in 1977.

Hume served as abbot of Ampleforth Abbey for 13 years until his appointment as an archbishop.[1] From 1979, Hume served as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He held these appointments until his death from cancer in 1999. His final resting place is at Westminster Cathedral in the Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine.[2]

During his lifetime, Hume received wide respect from the general public, even 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]

  1. ^ Miranda, Salvador. "George Basil Hume". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  2. ^ "The Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine - Westminster Cathedral". Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  3. ^ Bergonzi, Bernard (15 January 2008). "English Catholics: a singular history & an uncertain future". Commonweal. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
  4. ^ 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.