Robert Byrne (bishop)

Robert Byrne, C.O. (born 22 September 1956) is a British Roman Catholic bishop. Since 25 March 2019, he has served as the 14th Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Titular Bishop of Cuncacestre. He is the first Oratorian to be appointed a bishop in England since 1874.

The Right Reverend

Robert Byrne

C.O.
Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
Fr Byrne in 2010
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Liverpool
DioceseDiocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Appointed4 February 2019
Installed25 March 2019
PredecessorSéamus Cunningham
Orders
Ordination5 January 1985
by Maurice Couve de Murville
Consecration13 May 2014
by Bernard Longley
Personal details
Born (1956-09-22) 22 September 1956
Manchester, England
NationalityBritish
DenominationRoman Catholicism
Previous post
  • Titular Bishop of Cuncacestre (2014–2019)
  • Auxiliary Bishop in Birmingham (2014-2019)
EducationSt Bede's College, Manchester
Alma materKing's College, London
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Mottosoli Deo
Coat of arms

Early life and education

Byrne was born on 22 September 1956 in Manchester, England.[1][2] He was educated at St Bede's College, Manchester, an independent Catholic school. He studied at King's College, London and at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.[2]

Religious life

Byrne entered the Birmingham Oratory in 1980.[2] On 5 January 1985, he was ordained to the priesthood by Maurice Couve de Murville, the then Archbishop of Birmingham.[3][4] In 1990, he moved to Oxford where he founded the Oxford Oratory.[4] From 1990 to 1999, he was Parish Priest of the Parish of St Aloysius, Oxford.[2] From 1993 to 2011, he served as the elected Provost of Oxford Oratory.[2][4]

Episcopal ministry

In March 2014, Pope Francis appointed him an Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Birmingham.[4] As such, he became the first Oratorian to be appointed a bishop in England since 1874 when Edward Bagshawe was appointed Bishop of Nottingham.[2][4][5] On 13 May 2014, he was consecrated to the episcopate as the Titular Bishop of Cuncacestre.[3][6] The principal consecrator was Bernard Longley, the Archbishop of Birmingham, and the co-consecrators were Michael C. Barber SJ, the bishop of Oakland, and Philip Pargeter, his predecessor as Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham.[3] His pastoral area within the Archdiocese of Birmingham covers six deaneries: Birmingham Cathedral, Birmingham North, Birmingham South, Birmingham East, Kidderminster, and Worcester.[2]

On 4 February 2019, Pope Francis appointed Byrne the next Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, in succession to Séamus Cunningham. He was installed as the 14th bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle during a service at St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle on 25 March 2019.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Profile: Rt Rev Robert Byrne C.O." CBCEW. Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. "Pope appoints Fr Robert Byrne as new Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham". Catholic News. Catholic Trust for England and Wales. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. Cheney, David M. "Bishop Robert Byrne, C.O." Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  4. "Pope appoints first Oratorian bishop in England for 140 years". Catholic Herald. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. "Father Robert to be made a Bishop". The Oxford Oratory. The Oxford Oratory Trust. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  6. "Consecration of Bishop Robert Byrne, Cong. Orat". The Oxford Oratory. The Oxford Oratory Trust. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  7. "Pope Francis appoints Bishop Robert Byrne as the fourteenth Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle". Catholic News. The Catholic Church for England and Wales. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Séamus Cunningham		 Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
2019 – present		 Incumbent
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