Arthur Hinsley (1865–1943) was an English
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He served as
Archbishop of Westminster from 1935 until his death, and was elevated to the
cardinalate
The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...
in 1937.
Early life and ministry
Hinsley was born in
Carlton near
Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
, to Thomas and Bridget (née Ryan) Hinsley. His father was a
carpenter and his mother was an
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...
. He studied at
Ushaw College
Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw), is a former Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for its Georgian and Vict ...
in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
and then proceeded for theological studies to the
English College in Rome. Hinsley's education was sponsored by his parish priest, who was also one of the
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
's chaplains at
Carlton Towers
Carlton Towers in the civil parish of Carlton, south-east of Selby, North Yorkshire, England, is a very large Grade I listed country house, in the Victorian Gothic-revival style, and is surrounded by a 250-acre park.
The house was re-bui ...
.
Ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
to the priesthood on 23 December 1893 and was immediately appointed to teach at Ushaw College, a position he held until 1897. He then took up
pastoral ministry in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
and served as headmaster of
St. Bede's Grammar School (which he also founded) from 1900 to 1904. In 1917, after another period of pastoral work, Hinsley became a
domestic prelate of his holiness
A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour.
They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.[rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...]
of the English College in Rome, a post in which he remained until 1928.
Episcopate
On 10 August 1926, he was appointed
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of ''Sebastopolis in Armenia'' by
Pope Pius XI. Hinsley received his
episcopal consecration
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
on the following 30 November from
Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val, with
Archbishop Giuseppe Palica and
Bishop Peter Amigo serving as
co-consecrators, in the chapel of the English College. He was later named
apostolic visitor
In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor (or ''Apostolic Visitator''; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is deputed ...
to
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Africa on 10 December 1927. While in Africa, he suffered a bout of
paratyphoid fever
Paratyphoid fever, also known simply as paratyphoid, is a bacterial infection caused by one of the three types of ''Salmonella enterica''. Symptoms usually begin 6–30 days after exposure and are the same as those of typhoid fever. Often, a grad ...
.
['']Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
''
"Death of a Voice"
29 March 1943.
At the age of 65 he made a valiant effort with other clerics to climb
Mount Etna in South Italy. Sadly they had to turn back as one of the party, Cardinal Francis Carberri, had respiratory problems halfway up the mountain. Hinsley always said even on his deathbed that he regretted not climbing up Etna.
Pius XI, on 9 January 1930, made Hinsley
Titular Archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Sardis
Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...
and
apostolic delegate
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...
to the British
missions in Africa that were not under the jurisdiction of the apostolic delegations of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
,
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
, and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.
He retired as apostolic delegate due to ill health on 25 March 1934 and in recognition of his long service in Rome and to the Vatican was appointed a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
of
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
. It was from this tranquil, semi-retired position, in his 70th year, that Hinsley was the surprisingly nominated fifth
Archbishop of Westminster on 1 April 1935, thus becoming the spiritual leader of the
Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Cardinalate
He was created
Cardinal-Priest
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
of ''
S. Susanna'' by
Pope Pius XI in the
consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
* Consistor ...
of 13 December 1937. In his capacity of cardinal, Hinsley served as
one of the electors in the
1939 papal conclave, which selected
Pope Pius XII. A supporter of
ecumenism,
Hinsley founded the multi-denominational
Sword of the Spirit in October 1940 to rally his fellow English clergymen (including non-Catholics) against
totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regu ...
.
He defended
Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes CBE (16 September 188025 June 1958) was an English poet, short-story writer and playwright.
Early years
Noyes was born in Wolverhampton, England the son of Alfred and Amelia Adams Noyes. When he was four, the family moved to Ab ...
in his argument with the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
. The English prelate, as well as the episcopal hierarchy and the main Catholic press, actively supported
Francisco Franco during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
; Hinsley, who all his life kept a picture of dictator Franco on his desk, "wrote letters, spoke to church bodies, facilitated fund-raising and maintained a constant and vigilant eye promoting
Franco's side".
It has been claimed his support for
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
was important to the prime minister in 1940 and helped improve relations between the Church and the British establishment.
Catholic schools at that time educated 8% of children in England and Wales. The
president of the Board of Education
The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. The incumbent is a member of the Ca ...
,
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), also known as R. A. Butler and familiarly known from his initials as Rab, was a prominent British Conservative Party politician. ''The Times'' obituary c ...
, was drawing up plans for what would eventually become the
Education Act 1944, and was keen to draw Church schools into the state system in return for financial support. Although he was able to negotiate deals with the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
and the
Nonconformist churches, Butler was told that his plans were not acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church (15 September 1942). Hinsley wrote a shrewd letter to ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', stressing
President Roosevelt's commitment to freedom of conscience and arguing that Catholic schools should not be bullied by the state as they often provided for the poorest inner-city communities.
Hinsley, nearly blind and deaf, died from a heart attack
at his country retreat of
Hare Street House
Hare Street House is a Grade II* listed building in the hamlet of Hare Street that lies between Buntingford and Great Hormead in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is mainly associated with the Roman Catholic priest a ...
near
Buntingford, at age 77. He was buried at
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.
The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...
.
Archbishop William Temple,
of Canterbury, described him as "a most devoted citizen of his country ...
nda most kindly and warmhearted friend".
The ''
Daily Mail'' described him as "the greatest English Cardinal since Wolsey ... and probably the best loved Cardinal England ever had."
The
Diocese of Leeds' Pastoral and Conference Centre, Hinsley Hall, is named in honour of the Cardinal.
References
Book cited
*
Howard, Anthony ''RAB: The Life of R. A. Butler'', Jonathan Cape 1987
External links
Diocese of Westminster*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinsley, Arthur
1865 births
1943 deaths
Roman Catholic archbishops of Westminster
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United Kingdom
20th-century British cardinals
Bishops appointed by Pope Pius XI
English College, Rome alumni
Rectors of the English College, Rome
Burials at Westminster Cathedral
Alumni of Ushaw College
People from Selby District
People from Buntingford
British Roman Catholic archbishops
Francoists