VATICAN CITY — English Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, a
longtime leader in Catholic-Anglican relations and former archbishop of
Westminster, died Sept. 1 at the age of 85.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster issued a statement saying
his predecessor "died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by his family
and friends." Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor had been hospitalized in
mid-August. His funeral was scheduled for Sept. 13 at Westminster Cathedral in
London.
Early Sept. 1, the Westminster diocese tweeted a link to a letter
from Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, which said, "At this time, the words I pray
every night are never far from my thoughts: 'Into your hands, Lord, I commend
my spirit.'"
He asked Cardinal Nichols to tell the people of the diocese
"I am at peace and have no fear of what is to come."
Pope Francis, in a condolence message to Cardinal Nichols,
recalled "with immense gratitude the late cardinal's distinguished service
to the church in England and Wales, his unwavering devotion to the preaching of
the Gospel and the care of the poor, and his far-sighted commitment to the
advancement of ecumenical and interreligious understanding."
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor was once described by The Tablet, a Catholic weekly, as "everyone's
favorite bishop: human, genial, collaborative, imposing.''
A leader in ecumenical relations, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor served
as Catholic chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission
for two decades. At a lecture in Salford, England, just a month before he was
made a cardinal in 2001, he said that "unity must be our constant goal and
at the heart of all that we do.''
Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, reacting to the
cardinal's death, said that "in Cormac, people saw something of
Christ."
The Anglican leader said that, as Catholic chairman of ARCIC,
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor lent both his customary good humor and his theological
acumen to the production of some of the most influential of ecumenical agreed
texts of the 20th century. At a time when others bemoaned the lack of instant
progress in ecumenical relations, Cormac saw the work of ARCIC as an investment
and a building block for future closer relations."
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was born Aug. 24, 1932, in Reading,
England, the fifth son of Irish parents, Dr. George Murphy-O'Connor and his
wife, Ellen. Two of his brothers also became priests.
He was educated at Presentation College, Reading, and Prior Park
College, Bath. He trained for the priesthood at the English College in Rome and
earned degrees in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian
University. He was ordained a priest in Rome Oct. 28, 1956, and was appointed
bishop of Arundel and Brighton in 1977.
Prior to his ordination as a bishop he was rector of the English
College. He also was private secretary and chaplain to the then-Bishop Derek
Worlock of Portsmouth, later archbishop of Liverpool.
St. John Paul II inducted him into the College of Cardinals in
February 2001 and he retired eight years later.
After retiring as archbishop of Westminster, he moved to a house
in Chiswick and continued his work in Rome, taking up new posts on the
congregations for Bishops and for the Evangelization of Peoples. On several
occasions, he acted as papal representative to places such as Stockholm, India,
Bangladesh and Trondheim, Norway.
In June 2010, he was named as the apostolic visitor to the
Archdiocese of Armagh, Northern Ireland, in the aftermath of the Ryan and
Murphy Reports on clergy abuse of children.
After he turned 80, many of his Vatican commitments ceased, and
he participated in the conclave of 2013 as a nonvoter.