Vincent Malone (11 September 1931 – 18 May 2020) 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 was the Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of the

Archdiocese of Liverpool The Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool ( la, Archidioecesis Liverpolitana) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the Isle of Man and part of North West England. The episcopal see is Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The archdiocese ...

Life

Malone was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, educated at St Francis Xavier's College, and

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 18 September 1955, in Old Swan. On 13 May 1989, 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 Abora and Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool. He 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 3 July from Archbishop Derek Worlock, with Bishops Kevin O'Connor and

John Rawsthorne John Anthony Rawsthorne (born 12 November 1936) is a retired English Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Hallam from 1997 to 2014. Early life and education Born in Crosby, Lancashire (now part of Merseyside), he was the eldest ...

serving as co-consecrators. In 2003 Malone wrote a contribution for ''Healing Priesthood: Women's Voices Worldwide'', in which he argued that women should be allowed to hear confessions and absolve penitents, on the grounds that some Catholics might prefer to confess their sins to a woman. 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 ...

officially announced that on 26 October 2006, Malone was to retire from his post in Liverpool. As with all bishops, he was required to submit his letter of retirement to

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

upon reaching age 75. He continued to be a

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

, a member of the Archbishop's council, and a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

of the Archdiocese. Moreover, although he no longer carried out formal

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

visitations, Malone continued to celebrate the

Sacrament of Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

. Malone died on 18 May 2020, aged 88, at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, after testing positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

during the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

References

1931 births 2020 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Liverpool 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England People educated at St Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool {{UK-RC-bishop-stub