Vincent Nichols#Acknowledgement of adoption controversy

Vincent Gerard Nichols was born on 8 November 1945 in Crosby, a town near Liverpool, then located in Lancashire{{Efn|Crosby is now located in Merseyside since the county's creation in 1974}} to Henry Joseph and Mary (née Russell) Nichols, both teachers. He said that he felt a calling to the priesthood as a teenager.{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=The Guardian|title=Profile: Archbishop Vincent Nichols|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/apr/03/vincent-nichols-profile|last=Topping|first=Alexandra|location=London|access-date=18 December 2016|archive-date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407085349/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/apr/03/vincent-nichols-profile|url-status=live}}

He attended St Peter and Paul's Junior School on Liverpool Road, Crosby before joining St Mary's College, Crosby,{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-life/liverpool-lifestyle/2009/05/19/vincent-nichols-the-new-archbishop-of-westminster-looks-back-to-merseyside-childhood-100252-23658636|title=How St Mary's drove me to succeed|date=18 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009|archive-date=19 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319201756/http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-life/liverpool-lifestyle/2009/05/19/vincent-nichols-the-new-archbishop-of-westminster-looks-back-to-merseyside-childhood-100252-23658636/|url-status=live}} from 1956 to 1963. From St. Mary's he entered the Venerable English College, Rome. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Liverpool on 21 December 1969."[https://www.cbcew.org.uk/vincent-nichols/ Cardinal Vincent Nichols]", Catholic Bishops Conference, Bishops Conference of England and Wales. Retrieved August 26, 2023. He obtained an STL in Theology & Philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1970.

Upon his return to Britain, Nichols studied at the University of Manchester for a year and earned an MA degree in Theology in 1971, specialising in the theology of St. John Fisher. He then served as assistant pastor at St Mary's Church, Wigan,{{cite web|title=St. Mary's Church, Wigan|url=http://www.stmaryandstjohnsparishes.co.uk/histstm.html|access-date=7 April 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727063240/http://www.stmaryandstjohnsparishes.co.uk/histstm.html|archive-date=27 July 2008}} as well as chaplain to St John Rigby College, Wigan,{{cite web|title=St. John Rigby College, Orrell|url=http://www.sjr.ac.uk|access-date=7 April 2009|archive-date=22 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322005750/http://www.sjr.ac.uk/|url-status=live}} and St Peter's Catholic High School, Wigan.{{cite web|title=St. Peter's High School, Wigan|url=http://www.saintpetershigh.wigan.sch.uk|access-date=7 April 2009|archive-date=5 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405084656/http://www.saintpetershigh.wigan.sch.uk/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|work=Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales|title=Pope announces Archbishop-elect of Westminster|url=http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/events/pope_announces_archbishop_elect_of_westminster#biography|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408215302/http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/events/pope_announces_archbishop_elect_of_westminster#biography|archive-date=8 April 2009}}

He received a MEd degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1974 and was assigned to St. Anne's Church in Edge Hill in 1975. Father Nichols spent a total of 14 years in the Liverpool archdiocese. In 1980, he was appointed director of the Upholland Northern Institute. He also sat on the archiepiscopal council.

Nichols served as General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) from 1984 to 1993. In addition to his role within the CBCEW, he was moderator of the Steering Committee of the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland from 1989 to 1996. He was chairman of the Catholic Education Service from 1998.Elena Curti, "Pastor with a political touch," The Tablet 11 April 2009, 6

On 5 November 1991, Nichols was appointed Auxiliary bishop of Westminster and Titular bishop of Othona by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on 24 January 1992 from Cardinal Basil Hume, OSB, with Archbishop Derek Worlock and Bishop Alan Clark serving as co-consecrators, at Westminster Cathedral.

At the age of 46, he was the youngest Catholic bishop in the United Kingdom. He selected as his episcopal motto: Fortis Ut Mors Dilectio, meaning, "Love Is Strong As Death" Song of Solomon 8:6.{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=Shouts in the Piazza|title=Archbishop Nichols' Coat of Arms|url=http://shoutsinthepiazza.blogspot.com/2009/04/archbishop-nichols-coat-of-arms.html|access-date=4 April 2009|archive-date=23 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523102259/http://shoutsinthepiazza.blogspot.com/2009/04/archbishop-nichols-coat-of-arms.html|url-status=live}}

As an auxiliary, Nichols served as vicar for North London. He was appointed to the finance advisory committee of the National Catholic Fund in 1994 and to the CBCEW's Committee for the Roman Colleges in 1995, and became Episcopal Liaison of the CBCEW for the National Conference of Diocesan Financial Secreatries in 1996.

In 1998, he was made chairman, of the CBCEW: Department for Catholic Education and Formation,{{cite web | title=Catholic Education and Formation | url=http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/catholic_bishops_conference_of_england_and_wales/departments/catholic_education_and_formation | work=Catholic Church in England and Wales | access-date=7 April 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124151356/http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/catholic_bishops_conference_of_england_and_wales/departments/catholic_education_and_formation | archive-date=24 November 2009 | df=dmy-all }} as well as chairman of the Catholic Education Service. Nichols represented the European bishops at the November 1998 Synod of Bishops from Oceania, and was a special secretary at the Synod of Bishops for Europe in September 1999. He was celebrant of the Requiem Mass for Cardinal Hume in 1999.

On 15 February 2000, Nichols was appointed the eighth Archbishop of Birmingham by Pope John Paul II, succeeding the French-born Maurice Couve de Murville. He was installed as archbishop on the following 29 March. He received the pallium from Pope John Paul II in Rome on 29 June 2000, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, at the same time as Cormac Murphy-O'Connor received his as Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster. Prior to his appointment to Birmingham, he had been considered a leading contender to replace the late Cardinal Hume as Archbishop of Westminster;{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=BBC|title=A 'tough champion' for Catholics|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7824628.stm|last=Pigott|first=Robert|access-date=4 April 2009|archive-date=4 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404232937/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7824628.stm|url-status=live}} the position went to Murphy-O'Connor, although Nichols would later succeed him.

In 2001, Nichols became chairman of the management board of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults. He is also a patron of the International Young Leaders Network{{cite web|title=International Young Leaders Network |url=http://www.iyln.com |access-date=7 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828200122/http://www.iyln.com/ |archive-date=28 August 2008 }} based at Blackfriars, Oxford. In 2008, he was named President of the Commission for Schools, Universities, and Catechesis in the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe. He is the lead episcopal trustee of the three English seminaries outside the United Kingdom – The Royal English College, Valladolid, as well as the Beda College and the Venerable English Colleges in Rome. He is assisted in this role by two further episcopal trustees – Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Mark Jabalé, Bishop Emeritus of Menevia. He undertakes at least one visitation of each of these seminaries in each academic year.

Nichols provided the commentary for the BBC's coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

By virtue of his status as ordinary of the Birmingham diocese, Nichols played a leading role in the cause of the Canonisation of John Henry Newman, which took place in 2019. In 2008 Nichols oversaw the opening of Newman's grave in Worcestershire, a practice usual in such cases, undertaken with a view to translating Newman's remains to the Birmingham Oratory. However, no human remains could be recovered. Likewise as archbishop, Nichols was Chairman of the Governing Body of Newman University College (now Newman University).

Nichols has written two books: Promise of Future Glory and Missioners; and it was he who set up the "Walk with Me" programme, which sought to bring people together in spiritual accompaniment through the seasons of the Church’s year. The initiative later spread to other dioceses.

File:Vincent Nichols 20110115 1.jpg

Nichols was appointed the eleventh Archbishop of Westminster by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 April 2009, and solemnly installed on 21 May 2009.{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=Holy See|title=Rinuncia Dell'Arcivescovo Metropolita Di Westminster (Inghilterra) E Nomina Del Successore|url=http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/23659.php?index=23659&lang=en}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The diocese, the principal see of the Church in England and Wales, serves 472,600 Catholics.{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=Holy See|title=Other Pontifical Acts|url=http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/dinamiche/b7_en.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504000257/http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/dinamiche/b7_en.htm|archive-date=4 May 2008}} It was reported that Benedict XVI personally selected Nichols for the post after the Congregation for Bishops failed to reach a consensus.{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=The Times|title=Most Rev Vincent Nichols to be head of English Catholics|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/most-rev-vincent-nichols-to-be-head-of-english-catholics-5cf8v79xwr2|last=Gledhill|first=Ruth|location=London|access-date=12 January 2014|archive-date=21 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121141857/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/faith/article2100338.ece|url-status=live}}

In the time leading up to the appointment, Nichols' name had been repeatedly mentioned as a possible successor to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, and his name was the only one to be on both ternas, or shortlist of candidates submitted to the Congregation for Bishops. A group of English Catholic bishops, as well as a member of parliament, had even expressed their concerns of promoting Nichols to Westminster to the Apostolic Nuncio, Faustino Sainz Muñoz, citing the archbishop's ambition.{{cite news|date=14 March 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Leading candidate to be next Catholic Archbishop criticised by fellow bishops|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/4991585/Leading-candidate-to-be-next-Catholic-Archbishop-criticised-by-fellow-bishops.html|last=Wynne-Jones|first=Jonathan|location=London|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=18 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118102359/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/4991585/Leading-candidate-to-be-next-Catholic-Archbishop-criticised-by-fellow-bishops.html|url-status=live}}

In his decision to accept the "daunting" role of Archbishop of Westminster, Nichols said he "just swallowed hard and said 'yes.'"{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=BBC|title=Catholic Church names new leader|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7980704.stm|last=Pigott|first=Robert|access-date=4 April 2009|archive-date=5 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405161133/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7980704.stm|url-status=live}}

He succeeded Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2007. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor described his successor as "competent, compassionate, and experienced."

As expected, Nichols was elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales by unanimous acclamation on 30 April 2009.{{cite news|date=30 April 2009|work=Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales|title=Archbishop Nichols unanimously elected President of Bishops' Conference|url=http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/media_centre2/press_releases/press_releases_2009/archbishop_nichols_unanimously_elected_president_of_bishops_conference|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509212657/http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/media_centre2/press_releases/press_releases_2009/archbishop_nichols_unanimously_elected_president_of_bishops_conference|archive-date=9 May 2009}}

He received his second pallium from Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on 29 June 2009, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.{{cite web|title=Archbishop of Westminster receives Pallium from Pope Benedict XVI|url=http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/media_centre2/press_releases/press_releases_2009/archbishop_of_westminster_receives_pallium_from_pope_benedict_xvi|work=Catholic Communications Network|access-date=30 June 2009}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

He was appointed a member of the Congregation for Bishops on 16 December 2013 by Pope Francis.{{cite web|title=RINUNCE E NOMINE|url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/de/bollettino/pubblico/2013/12/16/0845/01901.html|work=Vatican Press, 16 December 2013|access-date=22 February 2014|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201634/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/de/bollettino/pubblico/2013/12/16/0845/01901.html|url-status=live}} On 19 February 2014. he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

Nichols wrote to Pope Francis offering his resignation as archbishop as of his 75th birthday on 8 November 2020, as is customary; however, Pope Francis asked him to continue in his functions.

File:187 países unidos contra el crimen campaña de Interpol, TurnBackCrime (14166382397) (cropped).jpg

On 12 January 2014 Pope Francis announced that Nichols would be created a cardinal at the consistory of the Church held on 22 February 2014. Cardinal Nichols was formally elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals by Pope Francis on 22 February 2014, receiving the traditional red biretta and gold ring during a ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica. He was created Cardinal-Priest of Santissimo Redentore e Sant'Alfonso in Via Merulana.

His coat of arms includes a blue wavy band on a silver shield to represent the River Mersey, scallop shells to represent the Venerable English College in Rome, the red rose of Lancashire and anchors representing Liverpool: surmounted by the customary red galero (ecclesiastical hat) with thirty red cords and tassels (for a cardinal).

On 8 September 2022, Nichols took part in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. He gave thanks to Elizabeth II's "commitment to the Commonwealth throughout her reign", during a three-minute intercession. Nichols' presence represented the second time that the Archbishop of Westminster participated in a Royal funeral, in modern British history. It had previously occurred when Cormac Murphy-O'Connor participated in the funeral of Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002.{{cite news|last=Caldwell|first=Simon|title=Cardinal Nichols performs historic role at funeral of Queen Elizabeth II |url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/cardinal-nichols-peforms-historic-role-at-funeral-of-queen-elizabeth-ii/|work=Catholic Herald|date=19 September 2022}}

On 6 May 2023, Nichols participated in the Coronation of King Charles III. Nichols' presence represented the first time that a Catholic prelate participated in the coronation of a British monarch since Elizabeth I was crowned by Catholic Bishop Owen Oglethorpe at the time of the Protestant Reformation.{{cite news|last=Teahan|first=Madeleine|title=Catholic prelate to participate in British coronation for first time since Reformation|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254225/catholic-prelate-will-participate-in-british-coronation-ceremony-for-the-first-time-since-reformation|work=Catholic News Agency|date=3 May 2023}}

Nichols took part as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.{{cite web| url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html| title=Cardinal Electors|date=6 May 2025|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|language=en|access-date=6 May 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506193115/https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html|archive-date=6 May 2025|url-status=live}}

Nichols was sitting nearby when Prevost was asked if he accepted his election and which name he had chosen, Nichols said “He replied as calmly and clearly as you like,” he says. “This is a Pope with great stability of character and clarity of mind.”[https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/pope-leo-xiv-robert-prevost-friends-vatican-insiders]

Once considered to be liberal, Nichols was described by Damian Thompson of The Daily Telegraph as having moved to more conservative positions.{{cite news|date=2 April 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Archbishop Vincent Nichols is the new leader of Catholics in England and Wales, sources confirm|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/9367027/Archbishop_Vincent_Nichols_is_the_new_leader_of_Catholics_in_England_and_Wales_sources_confirm/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827015226/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/9367027/Archbishop_Vincent_Nichols_is_the_new_leader_of_Catholics_in_England_and_Wales_sources_confirm/|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 August 2011|last=Thompson|first=Damian | location=London}} Elena Curti of The Tablet suggested this was the result of advice early in his career from Archbishop Worlock to make himself more "Vatican-friendly" if he was to get ahead in the Church hierarchy.Elena Curti, "Pastor with a political touch" in The Tablet, 2009 Before his enthronement as Archbishop of Westminster, he was vocal in defending the public reputation of the Catholic Church, notably criticising the BBC for what he called "biased and hostile" programming, which contributed to the decision by the BBC not to show the animated sitcom Popetown.{{cite news|date=3 April 2009|work=USA Today|title=England, Wales get new Catholic leader|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-04-03-vatican-nichols_N.htm|access-date=17 September 2017|archive-date=6 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406095906/http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-04-03-vatican-nichols_N.htm|url-status=live}}

In August 2010, Nichols expressed support for the echoes of Catholic social teaching emerging in the language of the new Coalition Government. In particular, he supported Prime Minister David Cameron's call for a "Big Society". Nichols said, "It gives us an experience of being together in a place that turns things on their head a bit". He expressed excitement at the potential for the Coalition and wrote that he had become disillusioned with the previous Labour government: "The last government was too overarching. In attempting to create a state that provided everything, it ended up losing touch with the people it was trying to serve."{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7920188/Archbishop-Vincent-Nichols-interview-A-chance-to-see-faith-as-a-resource-to-be-rediscovered.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804171204/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7920188/Archbishop-Vincent-Nichols-interview-A-chance-to-see-faith-as-a-resource-to-be-rediscovered.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 August 2010|title=Archbishop Vincent Nichols interview: A chance to see faith as a resource to be rediscovered|first=Jonathan|last=Wynne-Jones|date=1 August 2010|access-date=12 September 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}} In April 2011, however, he was critical about the effectiveness of the Big Society, saying, "It is all very well to deliver speeches about the need for greater voluntary activity, but there needs to be some practical solutions. The Big Society [...] has no teeth [...] and should not be used as a cloak for masking central cuts"{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8456301/Catholic-church-Big-Society-is-failing.html|title=Catholic church: Big Society is failing|first=Jonathan|last=Wynne-Jones|date=16 April 2011|access-date=12 September 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|archive-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913014508/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8456301/Catholic-church-Big-Society-is-failing.html|url-status=live}}

Nichols defended the ban of the church on Communion for the divorced and remarried. He hoped that the Synod on the Family would clarify the teachings of the church on the Eucharist. He said that although usually one partakes in Communion based on one's own conscience, the divorced remarried publicly defied church teachings.{{cite web|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/cardinal.vincent.nichols.defends.no.communion.rule.for.remarried.divorcees/40901.htm|title=Cardinal Vincent Nichols defends no Communion rule for remarried divorcees – Christian News on Christian Today|website=www.christiantoday.com|date=23 September 2014 |access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913044559/https://www.christiantoday.com/article/cardinal.vincent.nichols.defends.no.communion.rule.for.remarried.divorcees/40901.htm|url-status=live}}

While he was Archbishop of Birmingham, he had to respond to the sexual abuse cases that were alleged in that diocese. Among his first public acts in his role as Archbishop of Westminster was a statement on the issue of clerical physical and sexual abuse in Ireland following a government report into the running of industrial schools. In his own words: "Every time there is a single incident of abuse in the Catholic Church it is a scandal. And I'm glad it's a scandal." He was, however, criticised widely on the issue of priests facing up to their crimes, where he claimed, "That takes courage, and also we shouldn't forget that this account today will also overshadow all of the good that they also did."{{cite news|date=20 May 2009|work=Daily Telegraph|title=Church failed to act on child sex abuse|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/5356587/Church-failed-to-act-on-child-sex-abuse-report.html|location=London, UK|access-date=27 May 2010|archive-date=2 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602051747/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/5356587/Church-failed-to-act-on-child-sex-abuse-report.html|url-status=live}}

In 2020 the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said of Nichols, now a cardinal and the senior Catholic cleric in England and Wales, "There was no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility".{{Cite news |title=Child sexual abuse in Catholic church was 'swept under the carpet', inquiry finds |last=Bowcott |first=Owen |newspaper=The Guardian |date=10 November 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/10/child-sexual-abuse-in-catholic-church-swept-under-the-carpet-inquiry-finds |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=10 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110122833/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/10/child-sexual-abuse-in-catholic-church-swept-under-the-carpet-inquiry-finds |url-status=live }} Nichols, according to the report, protected the reputation of the Church rather than protecting victims and lacked compassion towards victims.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54889033 Catholic Church abuse: Cardinal Vincent Nichols criticised over leadership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110161434/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54889033 |date=10 November 2020 }} BBC A spokesperson for the Catholic Church in England and Wales stated that Nichols would not resign from his position following the report, since he was "determined to put it right".

Nichols played a prominent role in producing the 1996 CBCEW document, Common Good and Catholic Social Teaching,{{cite web|title=Common Good and Catholic Social Teaching|url=http://www.dnu.org/service/commongood.pdf|access-date=7 April 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011095225/http://dnu.org/service/commongood.pdf|archive-date=11 October 2008}} in which the English Catholic bishops condemned the rhetoric of greed in a move interpreted as an endorsement of New Labour.

In 2004, he prominently intervened in an argument pitching religious offence against artistic freedom when he criticised Birmingham Repertory Theatre for showing the play Behzti (Dishonour), which depicted scenes of sexual abuse and murder in a Sikh temple. He argued that the Sikh community had acted in a "reasonable and measured way" in representing their concerns. "Such a deliberate, even if fictional, violation of the sacred place of the Sikh religion demeans the sacred places of every religion. People of all faiths, therefore, will be offended by this presentation."

In March 2009, he allowed the Catholic chapel at a Roman Catholic college in Birmingham to be used for the commemoration of the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad with interfaith debate in the college chapel, sparking some local controversy.{{cite news|date=11 March 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Celebration of the birth of Mohammed 'held in chapel of Birmingham Catholic college'|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/9155321/Celebration_of_the_birth_of_Mohammed_held_in_chapel_of_Birmingham_Catholic_college/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223161345/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/9155321/Celebration_of_the_birth_of_Mohammed_held_in_chapel_of_Birmingham_Catholic_college/|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 December 2010|last=Thompson|first=Damian|location=London}} Nichols defended the location of the celebration, saying through his spokesman, "Christian/Muslim dialogue is an important part of the Catholic Church's agenda."{{cite news|date=12 March 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Archbishop Nichols defends use of chapel for event marking Mohammed's birthday|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/9160331/Archbishop_Nichols_defends_use_of_chapel_for_event_marking_Mohammeds_birthday/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520070233/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/9160331/Archbishop_Nichols_defends_use_of_chapel_for_event_marking_Mohammeds_birthday/|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 May 2011|last=Thompson|first=Damian|location=London}}

In November 2009, he "offered flowers at the altar to the deities" during a visit to the Hindu Temple in Neasden.{{cite news|date=23 November 2009|work=Independent Catholic News|title=Archbishop Nichols visits Europe's first traditional Hindu temple|url=http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=15205|access-date=25 December 2010|archive-date=7 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207111657/http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=15205|url-status=live}} When the action occasioned press comment, details of the episode were removed from the Diocese of Westminster's website.{{cite news|date=23 November 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Archbishop Vincent Nichols 'offered flowers at the altar of Hindu deities' |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100017721/archbishop-vincent-nichols-offered-flowers-at-the-altar-of-hindu-deities/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127151301/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100017721/archbishop-vincent-nichols-offered-flowers-at-the-altar-of-hindu-deities/|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 November 2009|last=Thompson|first=Damian|location=London}}

On 20 October 2009, Cardinal William Levada and Archbishop Joseph Di Noia held a press conference in which they announced that Pope Benedict XVI was preparing to release an apostolic constitution that would allow Anglicans, both laity and clergy, to join the Catholic Church in groups and maintain their corporate identity in new Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans entering the Roman Catholic Church.[http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/24513.php?index=24513&lang=en Note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans Entering the Catholic Church] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024000252/http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/24513.php?index=24513&lang=en |date=24 October 2009 }}

A joint statement on the new protocol from Nichols and the Anglican Communion's head, Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, was issued at the same time in London.[http://www.zenit.org/article-27269?l=english_date=20.10.2009&lang=en Joint statement by the Archbishop of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved 3 October 2011. The joint statement said that the development reflected "substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition" and affirmed "on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion", including the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).

However, Canon Giles Fraser, an Anglican canon of St Paul's Cathedral, preaching at an ecumenical service at Nichols' own cathedral in Westminster, suggested "...there are some – and indeed in both Churches – who do not see it like this at all. For from the Anglican perspective, this new invitation to swim the Tiber can sometimes have a slightly predatory feel; in corporate terms, a little like a takeover bid in some broader power play of church politics."{{cite web |last=Sarmiento |first=Simon |url=http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/004829.html |title=Text of sermon by Canon Giles Fraser at Westminster Cathedral, 18 January 2011 |publisher=Thinkinganglicans.org.uk |date=23 January 2011 |access-date=12 September 2017 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194204/http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/004829.html |url-status=live }}

Following the ascent of Arthur Roche to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and his "clarifying" Responsa ad Dubia supplement to Traditionis custodes, Nichols moved to prohibit the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Archdiocese of Westminster according to the traditional Latin rites of the Catholic Church, as they were celebrated before the institution of the Novus Ordo in 1971 (created after Vatican II).Coppen, Luke. (2022). [https://www.ncregister.com/cna/cardinal-nichols-traditional-rite-confirmations-no-longer-permitted "Cardinal Nichols: Traditional Rite Confirmations No Longer Permitted"]. National Catholic Register This affected the annual traditional Catholic confirmations at St James's, Spanish Place in London (part of the archdiocese of Westminster), where, before 2022, they had been celebrated under indult for the last 20 years. This put Nichols at variance with the Latin Mass Society,Gledhill, Ruth. (2022). [https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/14932/latin-mass-society-cancels-confirmations "Latin Mass confirmations cancelled "]. The Tablet though confirmations in pre-Vatican II rites continue in England and Wales through the canonically irregular Society of St. Pius X and the Eastern Catholic Churches.

In February 2024 Nichols announced that the Latin mass planned for the Paschal Triduum, that had annually been held at St. Mary Moorfields, would be canceled. This would result in the first time since the 1990s that the Triduum would not be celebrated in the archdiocese according to the old rites.{{cite web|title=Cardinal Nichols Prohibits Traditional Easter Triduum Services|url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/traditional-latin-mass-cardinal-nichols-pentin|date=27 February 2024|access-date=29 February 2024|publisher=National Catholic Register|first=Edward|last=Pentin}}

Nichols supported the effort to have Catholic adoption agencies exempted from sexual orientation regulations.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article1499944.ece |location=London |work=The Times |first=Ruth |last=Gledhill |title=Prelate fights gay adoption law |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320140438/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article1499944.ece |archive-date=20 March 2007 }} at archive.org His position was qualified by his statement during a BBC interview that he would not oppose adoption by a gay person that was single. Mary Ann Sieghart, a journalist, commenting for The Times on Nichols' statements on the subject, observed that "had the Catholic position been more hardline, it might have stood more of a chance."{{Cite web |url=https://www.almendron.com/tribuna/down-westminster-corridors-the-poison-is-flowing/ |title=Down Westminster corridors the poison is flowing |date=25 January 2007 |website=www.almendron.com |access-date=12 October 2021 |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928181743/https://www.almendron.com/tribuna/down-westminster-corridors-the-poison-is-flowing/ |url-status=live }}

In 2012 Nichols condemned same-sex marriage proposals, calling it an "undemocratic, Orwellian shambles".{{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/25/archbishop-of-westminsters-christmas-message-same-sex-marriage-plan-is-an-orwellian-shambles/|title=Archbishop of Westminster's Christmas message: Same-sex marriage plan is an Orwellian shambles|date=25 December 2012|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=12 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912233634/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/25/archbishop-of-westminsters-christmas-message-same-sex-marriage-plan-is-an-orwellian-shambles/|url-status=live}} Nichols also told teachers at Catholic schools that they could not marry divorced people, enter into civil unions or same-sex marriages and yet retain their jobs.{{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/01/28/catholic-church-warns-gay-teachers-they-risk-the-sack-if-they-marry-or-enter-into-civil-partnerships/|title=Catholic Church warns gay teachers they risk the sack if they marry or enter into civil partnerships|date=28 January 2013|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=12 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912192213/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/01/28/catholic-church-warns-gay-teachers-they-risk-the-sack-if-they-marry-or-enter-into-civil-partnerships/|url-status=live}} In 2013, Cardinal Nichols, under pressure from the Vatican, put an end to Masses for LGBT people at the historic 18th-century Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Warwick Street, Soho. Cardinal Nichols arranged, however, for the LGBT community to move to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street in nearby Mayfair and attended their first Mass there in 2013.{{cite web|last1=Cameron-Mowat|first1=Andrew|title=LGBT Catholics Westminster|url=http://www.farmstreet.org.uk/LGBTCatholicsWestminster.php|website=farmstreet.org.uk|access-date=6 September 2017|quote=In December 2012 Archbishop Vincent Nichols asked the Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain and myself to offer meeting spaces on Farm Street Parish premises for the LGBT Catholic Community which had previously met at Our Lady of The Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street. In March 2013, LGBT Catholics joined the regular congregation at the evening Mass, followed by a reception and meeting with the Archbishop and members of the parish. Over the following weeks, on every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, the group gathered to celebrate Mass together with regular parishioners at the new time of 5.30pm, and to meet for tea and coffee afterwards in the parish hall. Mgr Keith Barltrop, Parish Priest of St Mary of the Angels, Bayswater, is the Archbishop’s personal liaison with the group.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627213224/http://www.farmstreet.org.uk/LGBTCatholicsWestminster.php|archive-date=27 June 2017|url-status=dead}} The Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Warwick Street, Soho, has since been used for the Anglican Form of the Roman Rite by the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Archbishop Nichols said: "The moral teaching of the Church is that the proper use of our sexual faculty is within a marriage, between a man and a woman, open to the procreation and nurturing of new human life."{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-20889039|title=Masses for gay Catholics scrapped|work=BBC News|date=12 September 2017|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=12 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912220426/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-20889039|url-status=live}}

In 2006, Nichols denounced then-Secretary for Education Alan Johnson's plan to introduce a quota for non-Catholic pupils at Catholic schools as "insulting", "divisive" and "ill-thought-out, unworkable and contradictory of empirical evidence". He mobilised over 2,000 Catholic school headteachers in his campaign and the plan was eventually dropped.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}

In August 2009, he warned that in his view the overuse by young people of online social networking websites (such as Facebook and MySpace) encouraged teenagers to build "transient relationships" that can leave them traumatised and even suicidal when they collapse: "We're losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that's necessary for living together and building a community."{{cite news|title=Archbishop issues networking websites warning|url=http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/europe/archbishop-issues-networking-websites-warning-1849450.html|access-date=2 July 2009|work=Irish Independent|archive-date=3 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803125421/http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/europe/archbishop-issues-networking-websites-warning-1849450.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Facebook and MySpace can lead children to commit suicide, warns Archbishop Nichols|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/5956719/Facebook-and-MySpace-can-lead-children-to-commit-suicide-warns-Archbishop-Nichols.html|access-date=2 July 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|first1=Jonathan|last1=Wynne-Jones|archive-date=6 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906080902/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/5956719/Facebook-and-MySpace-can-lead-children-to-commit-suicide-warns-Archbishop-Nichols.html|url-status=live}}

In October 2010 Nichols made a defence of Catholic prison chaplaincy in a speech at HM Prison Brixton in London. He criticised suggestions that amid budget cuts the state should only fund a single "generic chaplaincy" in British prisons. He said:

{{blockquote|There are some today who seem to see a future with some sort of 'generic chaplaincy', providing spiritual support irrespective of the church family of the person, as part of a package of care and rehabilitation to all ... That is, of course, valuable and no chaplain would or should turn away any person who seeks help. But where I part company from such thinking is in the idea that a generic approach can ever be truly respectful or sufficient.{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2010/10/07/archbishop-nichols-defends-catholic-prison-chaplaincy/|title=Archbishop Nichols defends Catholic prison chaplaincy – CatholicHerald.co.uk|date=7 October 2010|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812204151/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2010/10/07/archbishop-nichols-defends-catholic-prison-chaplaincy/|url-status=dead}}}}

In 2011, Nichols and former MP Ann Widdecombe supported a petition to stop the owners of a London pub from changing its name. "The Cardinal", near Westminster Cathedral, was due to be renamed the "Windsor Castle" when it reopened after refurbishment. More than 150 people signed the petition organised by the Independent Catholic News newspaper. The pub had been named after a former Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Henry Edward Manning. Nichols said that although the pub was originally called the Windsor Castle, the name the Cardinal has a better historical connection to the area and that "The reason why it was changed was because of the great impact that Cardinal Manning had on the life of London".{{cite news | title = Archbishop supports The Cardinal pub name petition | publisher = BBC News Online | date = 7 April 2011 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12996931 | access-date = 15 January 2014 | archive-date = 26 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150926000301/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12996931 | url-status = live }} Despite the petition, the pub was renamed.{{cite web | title = Victoria Essential Guide | publisher = Land Securities | url = http://residentialbylandsecurities.com/victoria_essentials_guide_residential.pdf | access-date = 15 January 2014 | quote = The Windsor Castle used to be called The Cardinal but has since undergone a full refurb and a name change. | archive-date = 16 January 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140116122703/http://residentialbylandsecurities.com/victoria_essentials_guide_residential.pdf | url-status = live }}

Nichols has urged Catholic academics, charities, politicians, theologians and lay Catholics to work towards the "Church for the poor" that Pope Francis advocated.

Nichols believes society has a moral imperative

{{blockquote|(…) to attend first to those who are most vulnerable, and at present that includes rising numbers of children. (…) there are growing numbers of hungry pupils in classrooms across the [UK] country and many accounts of parents foregoing their own meals to provide for their children. (…) A social safety net that fails to protect essentials such as food and shelter for those who cannot work, is not worthy of being regarded as a safety net at all.}}

Nichols stressed the need for fair wages, stating the private sector, the social sector, the state and all who have people depending on them for a livelihood are challenged by this.{{cite web|url=http://www.csan.org.uk/newsarticle/child-poverty-statistics-archbishop-vincent-nichols-catholics-must-shy-adding-voice-public-debate/|title=Child Poverty Statistics: Archbishop Vincent Nichols – Catholics must not "shy from adding our voice to public debate"|access-date=12 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627071545/http://www.csan.org.uk/newsarticle/child-poverty-statistics-archbishop-vincent-nichols-catholics-must-shy-adding-voice-public-debate/|archive-date=27 June 2013}}

Nichols argued in 2014 that government changes to social security had "torn apart" the "basic safety net" for very poor families and called them a "disgrace". He claimed that people are risking "destitution" and that the administration of social security has become steadily more "punitive", forcing people to rely on food banks and leaving them with nothing if forms are filled in incorrectly.

{{blockquote|So, if applicants don't get it right then they have to wait and they have to wait for 10 days, for two weeks – with nothing, with nothing. And that's why the role of food banks has become so crucial for so many people in Britain today. And for a country of our affluence that quite frankly is a disgrace.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26200157|title=Church leader attacks welfare reform|work=BBC News|date=15 February 2014|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=30 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130024946/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26200157|url-status=live}}}}

He is the patron of the Passage, a day centre for homeless people founded by the Daughters of Charity near Westminster Cathedral.

As Cardinal Nichols, he spoke out against the use of arguments and campaigns which stoke up "distress" about foreigners coming to the UK. His comments came amid a furore over a £1.5 million advertising campaign by the UK Independence Party which includes billboards suggesting to people that millions of foreigners are after their jobs.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10778468/Cardinal-warns-politicians-over-alarmist-immigration-rhetoric.html|title=Cardinal warns politicians over 'alarmist' immigration rhetoric|first=Cole|last=Moreton|date=21 April 2014|access-date=12 September 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|archive-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913001319/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10778468/Cardinal-warns-politicians-over-alarmist-immigration-rhetoric.html|url-status=live}}

During a visit to the port of Tilbury in June 2015, Cardinal Nichols paid tribute to seafarers' professionalism and dedication and the sacrifices they make to support their families.{{cite web |url=http://rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/news/cardinal-vincent-visits-tilbury-docks-to-see-work-of-aos/ |title=Cardinal Vincent Visits Tilbury Docks to See Work of AoS – Diocese of Westminster |date=17 June 2015 |publisher=Rcdow.org.uk |access-date=12 September 2017 |archive-date=6 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706072558/http://rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/news/cardinal-vincent-visits-tilbury-docks-to-see-work-of-aos/ |url-status=live }} He said that the Church, through its maritime mission agency, the Apostleship of the Sea, would continue to support their faith and welfare needs.

On 3 November 2016, it was reported that Cardinal Nichols officially acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales had pressed young, unmarried mothers in the country to put their children up for adoption in agencies linked to the Catholic Church throughout the decades following World War II and offered an apology.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/03/cardinals-apology-to-mothers-over-babies-handed-over-for-adoptio/|title=Cardinal's apology to mothers over babies handed over for adoption|author=John Bingham|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 November 2016|access-date=3 November 2016|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104144807/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/03/cardinals-apology-to-mothers-over-babies-handed-over-for-adoptio/|url-status=live}}

• Bailiff Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

• Cardinals created by Francis

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}{{notelist}}

{{Commons category}}

{{wikiquote|Vincent Gerard Nichols}}

• {{cite web| access-date = 23 November 2017| title= Nichols Card. Vincent Gerard |publisher= Holy See Press Office | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_nichols_gv.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 4 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904061756/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_nichols_gv.html }}
• {{Catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bnichols|Vincent Gerard Cardinal Nichols|11 October 2022}}
• [http://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk diocese of Birmingham]
• [http://www.rcdow.org.uk Diocese of Westminster]

{{s-start}}

{{s-rel|ca}}

{{s-bef|before=Maurice Noel Leon Couve de Murville|years=1982–1999}}

{{s-ttl|title=Archbishop of Birmingham|years=15 February 2000–21 May 2009}}

{{s-aft|after=Bernard Longley|years=2009–present}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Cormac Murphy-O'Connor|years=2000–2009|rows=2}}

{{s-ttl|title= Archbishop of Westminster|years=21 May 2009–present}}

{{s-inc|rows=3}}

{{s-break}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of Bishops' Conference of England and Wales|years=2009–present}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua|years=1991}}

{{s-ttl|title= Cardinal Priest of Santissimo Redentore e Sant'Alfonso in Via Merulana|years=22 February 2014–present}}

{{s-end}}

{{Archdiocese of Birmingham}}

{{Diocese of Westminster}}

{{Cardinals of the Catholic Church}}

{{Catholic Archbishops and Bishops in England and Wales}}

{{Adopt}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Vincent}}

Category:1945 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United Kingdom

Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Birmingham

Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis

Category:21st-century British cardinals

Category:Members of the Congregation for Bishops

Category:Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches

Category:People associated with Birmingham Newman University

Category:People educated at St Mary's College, Crosby

Category:People from Crosby, Merseyside

Category:Pontifical Gregorian University alumni

Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Westminster

Category:English College, Rome alumni

Category:English Roman Catholic archbishops