Graham Leonard
Graham Douglas Leonard KCVO ( May 8, 1921 - January 6, 2010 in Witney ) was a British cleric . He was Bishop of the Church of England but converted to Roman Catholic in his retirement .
Life
Leonard studied at Westcott House Theological College . Before becoming suffragan Bishop of Willesden in 1964 , he was Rector of St Andrew Undershaft's Church in St Mary Ax in the City of London and Archdeacon of Hampstead . He later became Bishop of Truro (1973–1981) and Bishop of London (1981–1991). From 1977 to 1991 he was a spiritual lord in the House of Lords . He was also dean of the Chapel Royal , a court office for which he was made Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), and prelate of the Order of the British Empire .
Due to the approval of ordination for women in the Anglican Communion , he eventually left the Church of England and joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1992. He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church on April 23, 1994. Since Rome does not recognize the validity of the Anglican ordination, Leonard is not a bishop of the Catholic Church. He was later appointed papal honorary chaplain with the title Monsignor and on August 3, 2000 honorary prelate of His Holiness by Pope John Paul II. 2006 Leonard was traded as a cardinal candidate, reported the London "Times". Pope Benedict XVI During his time as cardinal he was in contact with Leonard, then Bishop of London, and accompanied him on his way to the Catholic Church.
Leonard was married to Priscilla Swann and had two sons: Mark and James. The Catholic Church had issued an exemption from celibacy for converted Anglican clergy .
Web links
- STATEMENT OF CARDINAL HUME ON THE ORDINATION OF ANGLICAN BISHOP GRAHAM LEONARD AS A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST (English)
- Married Cardinal? on religion.ORF.at
- Married Anglican Convert as New Cardinal? on kath.net
- Graham Leonard's explanation for his religious conversion (English)
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
George Ingle |
Bishop of Willesden 1964–1973 |
Hewlett Thompson |
Maurice Key |
Bishop of Truto 1973–1981 |
Peter Mumford |
Gerald Ellison |
Bishop of London 1981–1991 |
David Hope |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Leonard, Graham |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Leonard, Graham Douglas (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British clergyman, Bishop of London |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 8, 1921 |
DATE OF DEATH | January 6, 2010 |
Place of death | Witney |