Genial archbishop who became mired in a scandal

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-o’connor, who has died aged 85, was a former head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and was present – or in the vicinity – at several significant moments in the Church’s recent history, said Peter Stanford in The Guardian. The “extent to which he influenced” those events is not clear, as this “genial cleric” tended to play down his importance, but it has been claimed that he was a key influence in the surprise election of the “change candidate” at the papal conclave of 2013. On account of his age, he was unable to take part in the vote (only in talks that preceded it). However, a few months later, Francis I seemed to make lighthearted reference to Murphy O’connor’s supposed role as Popemaker when, at a papal audience, he pointed to his old friend, and said: “Tuo e colpevole!” – “You’re to blame!”

A “noted ecumenist”, Murphy-o’connor challenged the Catholic and Anglican communions to form closer bonds, said The Daily Telegraph, and in 2002, called for the abolition of the Act of Settlement, which prevents Roman Catholics ascending to the throne. In that year, he also read prayers at the Queen Mother’s funeral, becoming the first Catholic cardinal to take part in a Royal funeral since 1509. In 2007, he received Tony Blair into the Church – having wisely persuaded him to wait until after he’d resigned as PM. (Had he not done so, Britain would have had its first Catholic prime minister.) Yet he was, perhaps, best known for his role in a paedophile priest scandal. In the 1980s, as bishop of Arundel and Brighton, he’d failed to report a known abuser, Michael Hill, to the police, and instead sent him to therapy. Then, when Hill begged for a second chance, Murphy-o’connor made him chaplain of Gatwick Airport, reasoning that – in that role – Hill would have little or no contact with children. But he did; he abused again and was jailed in 1997. When MurphyO’connor became Archbishop of Westminster in 2000, his role in the scandal hit the headlines, and there were frequent calls for his resignation. He had, by then, met victims of paedophile priests, and had started to realise the scale of his mistake in not reporting Hill. Although deeply remorseful, he did not stand down, and instead spent the next nine years working to restore the Church’s reputation by, among other things, appointing an independent commission, headed by Lord Nolan, to review its child protection procedures.

Born into a devoutly Catholic family in Reading in 1932, Murphy-o’connor declared, at the age of four, that he wanted either to be a doctor (like his father) or pope. He found his vocation proper in his teens, trained for the priesthood in Rome, and was ordained in 1956. His first parish was in Hampshire. Having been identified as a high-flyer early on, he then spent six years in Rome, a city he loved, as rector of his alma mater, the English College, before returning to England in 1977, to be consecrated bishop. He was elevated to the top job following the death of Basil Hume. At 67, however, he was considered rather old for the role, and nine years later he resigned, making way for Vincent Nichols. He thus became the first Archbishop of Westminster not to die in office. A talented pianist, MurphyO’connor was passionate about music, and played golf weekly.