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The Reception and Installation of Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O’Connor as Tenth Archbishop of Westminster

Paul Tobin

Some nine months after the death of Cardinal George Basil Hume in 1999, the Installation of his successor took place on Tuesday and Wednesday 21/22 March of the new Millennium, with warm sunshine on the Wednesday for the Mass. Every installation since that of Archbishop William Godfrey in 1957 has been televised and this event continued the tradition. What made these rites unusual was that on the Tuesday evening a ‘Reception and Celebration of the Word of God’ took place, at which the Archbishopelect took canonical possession of the See of Westminster with the reading of the Apostolic Letter confirming his appointment.

At the West Door, Archbishop-elect Murphy-O’Connor was met by the Provost (Mgr Canon Frederick Miles) together with the Canons of the Cathedral Chapter (who act as the College of Consultors), the Auxiliary Bishops and Episcopal

22 Archbishop Cormac greets well-wishers after Mass

Vicars. A short ‘Service of Light’ was held here, during which the opening verses of the Gospel according to St John were proclaimed. The Archbishop-elect carried the Book of the Gospels in procession through the nave, which was bathed in the light from the candles held by all present. On arrival in the sanctuary, the Book of the Gospels was placed on a stand and incensed. During the interregnum, Bishop Vincent Nichols had acted as Diocesan Administrator and it was his responsibility to request that the Apostolic Letter confirming the appointment of the Archbishop-elect be read by the Chancellor of the diocese, Fr (now Canon) Daniel Cronin. Following this, representatives of the clergy, Religious and laity individually welcomed the new archbishop. The celebration of the Word of Lord then continued.

The fine weather next day allowed the long procession of clergy from both Westminster and Arundel & Brighton

Mgr Miles, the Provost, reads the prayers of Installation; the book is held by Anthony Ogunseitan, now an Assistant MC at the Cathedral

dioceses, along with ecumenical guests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and finally Archbishop Murphy O’Connor to walk from the Cathedral Hall and Archbishop’s House respectively to the West Door. Fr Jim Mallon, now living in retirement near the Cathedral, is remembered for holding a banner reading ‘Under New Management’. As the Archbishop had been solemnly received at the West Door the evening before, he entered the Cathedral at the end of this procession. The Rite of Installation took place immediately after the Penitential Rite, led by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pablo Puente. It was he who authorised that the Apostolic Letter be read out again, after which the Provost led Archbishop Murphy-O’Connor to the throne and installed him using the formula which has been used at every Westminster archiepiscopal installation and which follows that used at Canterbury Cathedral before the Reformation. The ‘Howard’ Crozier, which is in trust for the use of the Archbishops of Westminster, was presented by the now former Diocesan Administrator (Bishop Nichols), who was himself to be installed shortly after as Archbishop of Birmingham.

The crozier is presented to the Archbishop by Bishop (now Cardinal) Vincent Nichols

At this point the Canons of the Chapter would have approached the Archbishop at the throne, but on this occasion he decided to come down to greet them assembled on the marble floor of the sanctuary. Unfortunately, he slightly stumbled and the moment was replayed a few days later on the satirical BBC2 quiz show Have I Got News for You? Archbishop Cormac was subsequently greeted by the Co-Presidents of Churches Together in England, led by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey. Mass then continued, during which the Archbishop in his homily recounted a story about being on holiday in the Outer Hebrides and discovering a stone, dedicated to an early Celtic saint on which was written the words: ‘Pilgrim Cormac’ and underneath: ‘He went beyond what was deemed possible’. The Archbishop likened the image of pilgrimage and being a pilgrim. He continued: ‘All through my life, I have been conscious of the fact, like each one of you, that the Lord Jesus has called me and touched me through his Spirit, led me to pastures new …’.

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