Basil Hume
George Basil Haliburton Hume OSB OM (2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic bishop. He was a monk and priest of the English Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey and its abbot for 13 years until his appointment as Archbishop of Westminster in 1976. His elevation to the cardinalate followed during the same year. From 1979, Hume served also as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He held these appointments until his death from cancer in 1999. His final resting place is at Westminster Cathedral in the Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine.
Basil Hume OSB OM | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster Primate of England and Wales | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Province | Westminster |
| Appointed | 9 February 1976 |
| Installed | 25 March 1976 |
| Term ended | 17 June 1999 |
| Predecessor | John Carmel Heenan |
| Successor | Cormac Murphy-O'Connor |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal Priest of San Silvestro in Capite |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 23 July 1950 by Thomas Shine |
| Consecration | 26 March 1976 by Bruno Heim |
| Created cardinal | 24 May 1976 by Paul VI |
| Rank | Cardinal priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Haliburton Hume 2 March 1923 Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Died | 17 June 1999 (aged 76) London, England |
| Buried | Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine, Westminster Cathedral, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents |
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| Previous post(s) | Abbot of Saint Lawrence's Abbey, Ampleforth (1963–1976) |
| Coat of arms | |
During his lifetime, Hume received wide respect from the general public which went beyond the Catholic community. Following his death, a statue of him in his monastic habit and wearing his abbatial cross was erected in his home town of Newcastle upon Tyne outside St Mary's Cathedral (opposite Newcastle station); it was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II.