Peter Hebblethwaite
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Peter Hebblethwaite (30 September 1930 – 18 December 1994) was a British
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
priest and writer. After leaving the priesthood, he became an editor, journalist ('
Vaticanologist Vaticanology is a term coined in the 20th century to describe the field of journalism and research studying and reporting about how the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church operate. It is named after the Vatican City, the Holy See's sovereign ...
') and biographer.


Life

Hebblethwaite was born in
Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...
, Lancashire, the son of Charles and Elsie Ann Hebblethwaite. He was educated at the parish primary school of St Anne's, Ashton-under-Lyne, and
Xaverian College Xaverian College is a Roman Catholic college in Manchester, England, south of the city centre in Rusholme. Established in 1862, Xaverian College has become one of the most oversubscribed Sixth form college in Greater Manchester, along with Lore ...
, Manchester.Michael J. Walsh, "Hebblethwaite, Peter (1930–1994)," in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004
Online edition
Retrieved 4 January 2008
Hebblethwaite entered the Jesuit
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
in 1948, and later studied in England and France. He was ordained a priest in 1963 "Peter Hebblethwaite; Ex-Priest Wrote Widely About the Vatican", New York Times News Service, December 23, 1994
/ref> Two years later he joined the staff of the Jesuit magazine ''
The Month ''The Month'' was a monthly review, published from 1864 to 2001, which, for almost all of its history, was owned by the English Province of the Society of Jesus and was edited by its members. History ''The Month'', founded and edited by Frances ...
'', covering the final session of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
. In 1967 he was appointed editor of ''
The Month ''The Month'' was a monthly review, published from 1864 to 2001, which, for almost all of its history, was owned by the English Province of the Society of Jesus and was edited by its members. History ''The Month'', founded and edited by Frances ...
'', a post he held until leaving the priesthood to marry Margaret Speaight (born 1951, London), a British writer, journalist, activist and religious worker. The couple wed in 1974 and had three children."Peter Hebblethwaite" (obit), ''The Independent'', 19 December 1994
/ref> From 1976 to 1979, he taught French at
Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
, specialising in the work of Catholic writer
Georges Bernanos Louis Émile Clément Georges Bernanos (; 20 February 1888 – 5 July 1948) was a French author, and a soldier in World War I. A Catholic with monarchist leanings, he was critical of elitist thought and was opposed to what he identified as defe ...
, before launching himself as a freelance journalist, concentrating on Catholic affairs and the Vatican in particular. He was the Vatican correspondent for the American liberal Catholic weekly ''
National Catholic Reporter The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a progressive national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt want ...
'' from 1979 to 1981. He was a journalist on
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 ...
affairs (regarded by some during his lifetime as the leading English-language
Vaticanologist Vaticanology is a term coined in the 20th century to describe the field of journalism and research studying and reporting about how the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church operate. It is named after the Vatican City, the Holy See's sovereign ...
). Hebblethwaite gained esteem as an author whose style was calm, scholarly and witty. His numerous books brought him to a wider public. ''The Runaway Church'' (1975) looked at the changes in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council. ''The Year of Three Popes'' covered the dramatic papal events of 1978, and was later followed by two papal biographies: ''John XXIII: Pope of the Council'' appeared in 1984 and ''Paul VI: The First Modern Pope'' in 1993.


Death

Peter Hebblethwaite died in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on 18 December 1994, aged 64.


Publications


Books

*''Bernanos: An introduction (Studies in modern European literature and thought series)'' (1965) *''Understanding the Synod''. Dublin and Sydney: Gill & Son, 1968. *''The Runaway Church''. London: Collins, 1975. *''The Christian-Marxist Dialogue: beginnings, present status, and beyond''. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1977. *''The Year of Three Popes''. London: Collins, 1978. *with Ludwig Kaufmann, ''John Paul II: A Pictorial Biography''. New York: McGraw-Hill, c1979. (hbk.), (pbk.) *''The New Inquisition? Schillebeeckx and Küng''. London: Fount Paperbacks, 1980. *''The Papal Year''. London: Chapman, 1981. *''Introducing John Paul II: The Populist Pope''. London: Collins / Fount, 1982. *''John XXIII: Pope of the Council''. London: Chapman, 1984. Revised edition Fount Paperbacks, 1994. Abridged edition Continuum, 2000. *''Synod Extraordinary: The Inside Story of the Rome Synod November–December 1985''. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1986. *''In the Vatican''. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1986. *''Paul VI: The First Modern Pope''. London: HarperCollins, 1993. *''The Next Pope: An Enquiry''. London: Fount, 1995. (reissued in 2000 with the subtitle "A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Forces That Will Choose the Successor to John Paul II and Decide the Future of the Catholic Church". )


Pamphlets

*''Changes in the Church?''. London:
Catholic Truth Society Catholic Truth Society (CTS) is a body that prints and publishes Catholic literature, including apologetics, prayerbooks, spiritual reading, and lives of saints. It is based in London, the United Kingdom. The CTS had been founded in 1868 by ...
, 1967. *''What the Council Says about Cultural Values''. London: Catholic Truth Society, 1968. *''The Theology of the Church''. Theology Today no. 8. Notre Dame, Ind.: Fides Publishers, 1969. *''Some Aspects of Revisionist Thinking''. Boston College Studies in Philosophy 2. Boston: Boston College, 1969. *''Pope John Paul II, the Gulf War and the Catholic tradition''. Oxford Project for Peace Studies paper no.31. Oxford: Oxford Project for Peace Studies, 1992.


Translations

*Ladislaus Boros, ''Breaking Through to God: The Way of the Cross''. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1973. (from German) *Pierre de Calan, ''Cosmas, or, The Love of God''. London: Collins, 1980. (from French)


References


Obituaries

*''The Times'', 19 December 1994. *''The Guardian'', 19 December 1994. *''The Daily Telegraph'', 19 December 1994. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hebblethwaite, Peter People from Ashton-under-Lyne Linguists from the United Kingdom English biographers Former Jesuits Laicized Roman Catholic priests 1930 births 1994 deaths People from Oxford English male journalists 20th-century biographers English male non-fiction writers 20th-century English male writers 20th-century linguists Male biographers