Pope appoints Bishop John Arnold to diocese of Salford, England

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appointed Bishop John Arnold to the diocese of Salford, north England.  Bishop Arnold, who was formerly and auxiliary of Westminster, will take over the pastoral leadership of the diocese from Bishop Terence Brain.

The Holy Father has accepted Bishop Brain’s resignation in conformity with cannon 401§ 1 of the Code of Canon Law.

The diocese of Salford dates to 1850 and lies in the greater Manchester area stretching across the West Yorkshire, within the ecclesial province of Liverpool.  The diocese is home to over 289 thousand Catholics spread among 200 parishes and also has the renowned Stonyhurst College within its boundaries.

Bishop John Arnold was ordained Bishop and appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Westminster on 3rd February 2006. He was assigned the titular see of Lindisfarne and has had responsibility for the pastoral care of the deaneries of Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Haringey, and Harrow.

John Arnold was born in Sheffield and attended Mylnhurst Convent School, before attending Grace Dieu Manor Preparatory school and Ratcliffe College, both schools run by the Institute of Charity (Rosminians). In 1975 He graduated with a Law Degree from Trinity College, Oxford and completed his legal qualification by being called to the Bar in the Middle Temple in 1976 after studies at the Council of Legal Education.

In the autumn of the same year, he entered the novitiate of the Institute of Charity (Rosminians), taking simple vows in 1978 before beginning studies at the Gregorian University in Rome. In 1981 he transferred to the Venerable English College and continued his studies for the Diocese of Westminster, completing both a Licence and a doctorate in Canon Law. He was ordained by Cardinal Basil Hume as a deacon in November 1982, and a priest in July 1983. With the completion of studies in Rome, he was appointed to Westminster Cathedral as a chaplain, with responsibilities for the Westminster Hospital in 1985.

In 1989 he was appointed as Sub Administrator of the Cathedral under Canon Oliver Kelly and subsequently under Patrick O’Donoghue, now Bishop of Lancaster. In 1993 he was became parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St George in Enfield and remained there until 2001, serving also as Promoter of Justice for Cardinal Hume. In 2001 he was appointed as Chancellor and Vicar General by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. During this time he was primarily responsible for planning two consultations within the Diocese on spiritual renewal and forming a vision for the future, in response to Pope John Paul II’s invitation in “Novo Millennio Ineunte” (At the Beginning of the new Millennium). In 2003 he was made a Chaplain to the Papal Household.

During his appointment at the Cathedral, he assisted in the compilation of two books published by Cardinal Hume; “Light in the Lord” and “Towards a Civilisation of Love”. Having contributed to “AIDS: Meeting the Community Challenge”, he published “The Quality of Mercy, A fresh look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation” in 1993.