The Right Reverend

Robert Byrne

C.O.
Bishop Emeritus of Hexham and Newcastle
ChurchCatholic Church
ProvinceLiverpool
DioceseHexham and Newcastle
Appointed4 February 2019
Installed25 March 2019
Term ended12 December 2022
PredecessorSéamus Cunningham
SuccessorStephen Wright
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
Previous post(s)
Education
Motto
  • Soli Deo
  • (To God Alone)
Coat of armsRobert Byrne's coat of arms

Robert Byrne, C.O. (born 22 September 1956) is a prelate of the Catholic Church in England. He was the 14th Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle from 2019 to 2022. 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.

Biography

Early life

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

Priesthood and 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]

Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham

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]

Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle

On 4 February 2019, Pope Francis appointed Byrne the next Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, in succession to Séamus Cunningham. He was enthroned as the 14th bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle during a Mass at St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle on 25 March 2019.[7][8]

Resignation and controversy

On 12 December 2022, Pope Francis accepted his resignation from his bishopric, nine years before the normal retirement age of 75, as mandated by Catholic canon law.[9][10] In a statement, the bishop said that the duties of his office had "become too great a burden to bear".[11] In the same month, Byrne had been reported to the police "after an allegation of abuse was made against him by a priest from another diocese to his bishop".[12]

On 22 January 2023, it was reported that the Vatican was investigating rumours of a sex party at St Mary's Cathedral.[13] As part of the investigation into the resignation of Byrne, the Church was looking into claims one of his priests invited worshippers to a party in his quarters attached to the cathedral during lockdown. The priest, Michael McCoy, dean of the cathedral, killed himself four days after finding out he was being investigated by police for child sexual abuse. In a letter seen by The Sunday Times Malcolm McMahon, archbishop of Liverpool, who is leading the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Byrne's resignation, said he has been asked by the pope’s advisers to prepare "an in-depth report into the events leading up to Bishop Byrne’s resignation".[14]

In May 2023, a summary of the report was published which included a number of findings:[15][16]

  • "lewd parties" did not take place at St Mary's Cathedral but gatherings for volunteers with wine and takeaways did place, in contravention to Covid regulations
  • Bishop's House in West Denton was sold and a replacement was bought in Gosforth, a middle class area: this was deemed an "error of judgement" and that "Bishop Byrne could have relocated to a property that served his and diocesan needs in a less conspicuous area at a lower cost"
  • Despite multiple safeguarding issues against him, Byrne promoted Canon Michael McCoy to dean of Newcastle cathedral: McCoy would go on to kill himself after police spoke with him in relation to historic sexual abuse allegations
  • Byrne continued to associate with Timothy Gardner OP, a convicted paedophile: including being seen together in public, inviting him multiple times to the bishop's residence, and attempting to get him employment in the diocese's archives and for an overseas charity

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Rt Rev Robert Byrne C.O." CBCEW. Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Pope appoints Fr Robert Byrne as new Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham". Catholic News. Catholic Trust for England and Wales. 15 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bishop Robert John Byrne, C.O.". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pope appoints first Oratorian bishop in England for 140 years". Catholic Herald. 15 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Father Robert to be made a Bishop". The Oxford Oratory. The Oxford Oratory Trust. 15 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Consecration of Bishop Robert Byrne, Cong. Orat". The Oxford Oratory. The Oxford Oratory Trust. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. 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. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Newcastle, Diocese of Hexham and (25 March 2019), Episcopal Installation of Bishop Robert Byrne CO, archived from the original on 13 January 2023, retrieved 13 January 2023
  9. ↑ "Rinunce e Nomine, 12.12.2022" [Resignations and Appointments, 12.12.2022] (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 12 December 2022. B0928/01940-IT.01. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "CanonLaw.Ninja - Search Results". CanonLaw.Ninja. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  11. ↑ james (12 December 2022). "Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle announces resignation". Catholic Bishops' Conference. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Caldwell, Simon (23 January 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Bishop reported to police for abuse as Vatican probes lockdown sex parties". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2023. The Catholic Herald has now learned that Bishop Byrne was himself reported to the police in December after an allegation of abuse was made against him by a priest from another diocese to his bishop. Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Papal Nuncio to Great Britain, and Archbishop McMahon were subsequently told and safeguarding agencies also informed. In a letter seen by the Catholic Herald, Archbishop McMahon wrote: "I can confirm that the police have been notified." Neither the identity of the priest and his bishop, nor the diocese, nor the police force informed of the complaint were named in the letter.
  13. ↑ "Vatican investigating rumours of 'sex party' at Newcastle cathedral". the Guardian. 22 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Pepinster, David Collins and Catherine. "Vatican investigates 'lockdown sex party in British cathedral'". ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP (3 May 2023). "Canonical Investigation Report – Executive Summary" (PDF). diocesehn.org.uk. The Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Bishop ignored advice about friendship with paedophile - report". BBC News. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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