John Arnold (bishop)

John Stanley Kenneth Arnold (born 12 June 1953[1]) is the eleventh Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford.[2] He was formerly an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster and held the titular see of Lindisfarne.

The Right Reverend

John Arnold
Bishop of Salford
Arnold in 2017
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ProvinceLiverpool
DioceseSalford
Appointed30 September 2014
Installed8 December 2014
PredecessorTerence Brain
Orders
Ordination16 July 1983
by Cardinal Basil Hume OSB
Consecration2 February 2006
by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Personal details
Born
John Stanley Kenneth Arnold

(1953-06-12) 12 June 1953
Sheffield, England
NationalityBritish
DenominationRoman Catholic
Previous post(s)
Alma materTrinity College, Oxford
Mottoquo fas vocat
Coat of armsJohn Arnold's coat of arms

Early life

Arnold was born in Sheffield and attended Mylnhurst Convent School before attending Grace Dieu Manor School and Ratcliffe College, both schools run by the Institute of Charity (Rosminian Fathers). In 1975 he graduated with a law degree from Trinity College, Oxford and completed his legal qualification by being called to the Bar in the Middle Temple in 1976 after studies at the Council of Legal Education.

Ordained ministry

Arnold never practised in the field of law and decided instead to pursue a vocation in the Catholic Church. He initially entered the novitiate of the Institute of Charity (Rosminians), taking simple vows in 1978, he then began his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.[3] In 1981 he transferred to continue his training as a secular Priest for the Archdiocese of Westminster, continuing his studies at the Venerable English College, Rome and completing both a licence and a doctorate in canon law. He was ordained on 16 July 1983 by Cardinal Basil Hume OSB, the Archbishop of Westminster.

After his ordination he was a chaplain at Westminster Cathedral from 1985 to 1988 and from 1988 to 1993 vice-administrator of the cathedral. In 1993 he was appointed parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. George, in Enfield. From 2001 to 2005 he was vicar general and chancellor of the diocese.

In recognition of this work as a priest, he was named a Chaplain of His Holiness.

Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster

In December 2005, Arnold was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Westminster, to which office he was consecrated a bishop by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, on 2 February 2006. He held responsibility for the pastoral care of the deaneries of Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Haringey and Harrow. He was also appointed as the chairman for the charity CAFOD, the Catholic Church's aid and development agency.[4] Arnold was also appointed as patron of the Catholic Archives Society in 2008.[5] although he was replaced in this role in 2021 by Bishop Robert Byrne of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.[6]

In September 2011, Arnold was selected by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to head up an apostolic visitation of Ealing Abbey to investigate extensive allegations of child abuse at the abbey.[7] He later received criticism for his handling of the investigation, including letters to The Times claiming that he had failed to meet with complainants and review their evidence.[8] and for his responses to an interview on the BBC Radio 4 Sunday Programme and would be called on in 2019 to give evidence on the matter to the IICSA enquiry board.[9]

Bishop of Salford

On 30 September 2014, Arnold was appointed as the 11th Bishop of Salford to succeed Bishop Terence Brain who had retired upon reaching the age of 75. He was installed at Salford Cathedral on 8 December 2014.

In 2015, Arnold commenced a period of consultation to prepare the diocese for the future. A Proposal for Restructuring was published in July 2016, with feedback invited until October. The final plan was then published in January 2017. The plans involve a drastic reduction in the number of parishes and churches within the diocese.[10] As of February 2021, 17 churches have been closed under this consultation, with one of these, the church of the Holy Rosary in Fitton Hill, named by conservationist Henrietta Billings as a heritage concern, calling it a threat to the Georg Mayer-Marton mosaic and fresco inside.[11] Following a campaign the church was granted Grade II listed status in August 2022.[12]

Arnold was appointed as Spokesperson on the Environment for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and has been working to convert the grounds of his official residence Wardley Hall into a Laudato Si' Centre, for training and leading efforts in the Catholic Church on climate change.[13]

In November 2021, a major renovation project was announced for Salford Cathedral requiring the closure of the building from March 2023 to December 2024.[14]

In November 2022, Arnold retired as Chair of the Oxford and Cambridge Catholic Education Board, after serving for 16 years, being replaced by Bishop Nicholas Hudson.[15]

Publications
  • The Quality of Mercy (1993)[16]

References
  1. "Non-Ordinary Bishops". GCatholic.org. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  2. Pope Francis appoints Bishop John Arnold as next Bishop of Salford from Independent Catholic News, retrieved 30 September 2014
  3. "Rt Rev. John Arnold".
  4. "Bishop Arnold on his visit to Africa". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. 22 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  5. "About". 29 July 2016.
  6. "About". 12 August 2022.
  7. "Vatican inquiry into Ealing Abbey child sex abuse". BBC News. 25 October 2011.
  8. "Allegations at Ealing Abbey".
  9. https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/14351/view/INQ003800.pdf
  10. "Salford Diocese Restructuring". Salford Diocese. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  11. "Rare Oldham church mural under threat".
  12. "PRESS RELEASE: Post-war mural of 'dazzling beauty' in Oldham is celebrated and urgently protected through listing".
  13. "Salford's Laudato Si Centre moves forward with planning request - the Catholic Universe". Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  14. "Salford Cathedral to close for major 2023 revamp". BBC News. 29 November 2021.
  15. https://www.facebook.com/oxfordchaplaincy/posts/2362294600606500/
  16. "Rt Rev. John Arnold".

Sources
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