Biography John Heenan (cardinal)

1 biography

1.1 life , ordination
1.2 bishop
1.3 positions during second vatican council
1.4 cardinal

biography
early life , ordination

john heenan born in ilford, essex, youngest of 4 children of irish parents john , anne heenan (née pilkington). auditioned westminster cathedral choir school @ age 9, sir richard terry rejected him metallic voice . heenan studied @ st. ignatius college in stamford hill, ushaw college in durham, , venerable english college in rome before being ordained priesthood on 6 july 1930. did pastoral work in brentwood until 1947, @ time became superior of catholic missionary society of england , wales. in position, heenan criticized united states being concerned communism, , not enough spiritual matters. time had published biography (1943) of cardinal hinsley, archbishop of westminster, had died.

bishop

on 27 january 1951, heenan appointed fifth bishop of leeds pope pius xii. received episcopal consecration on following 12 march archbishop william godfrey, apostolic delegate great britain, joseph mccormack, bishop of hexham , newcastle, , john petit, bishop of menevia, serving co-consecrators. named sixth archbishop of liverpool on 2 may 1957, heenan later appointed eighth archbishop of westminster on 2 september 1963. archbishop of westminster, served spiritual leader of catholic church in england , wales. in 1968, heenan elected president of catholic bishops conference of england , wales.

positions during second vatican council

a participant of second vatican council (1962–1965), heenan showed himself of conservative mind. opposed gaudium et spes, council s constitution on church in modern world, saying had been written clerics no knowledge of world . condemned periti, or theological experts, sought change church s doctrine on birth control. moreover, despite risks ecumenism, heenan later supported canonization of forty martyrs.

cardinal

he created cardinal-priest of s. silvestro in capite pope paul vi in consistory of 22 february 1965.

he died heart attack in london @ age 70, , buried in westminster cathedral, under twelfth station of cross ( jesus dies on cross ).

cardinal heenan shared lengthy correspondence author evelyn waugh regarding second vatican council. compilation of letters, bitter trial: evelyn waugh , john carmel cardinal heenan on liturgical changes, first published in 1996 , reprinted in expanded edition in 2011.