Former Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols has been made a cardinal – accompanied in Rome by supporters from his old city.
Archbishop of Westminster Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in the first such appointments of his papacy.
Archbishop Nichols, the 11th to receive the honour, said when it was announced last month that he was “deeply moved” by it.
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He added: “Personally, this is a humbling moment when I am asked to take a place in this service of the Holy See and in the line of much loved Cardinal Archbishops of Westminster.”
The Archbishop is one of 19 senior clerics chosen by the pope to be elevated to the Catholic clergy’s second highest rank.
It means he will be granted a place at the conclave which will elect the next pope.
The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley was in Rome to support Cardinal Nichols.
He said: “There is a good group of Birmingham pilgrims here in Rome today to support Cardinal Vincent Nichols as Pope Francis welcomes him into the College of Cardinals.
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“Birmingham Catholics are proud of all that our new Cardinal achieved in our Archdiocese for our parishes and schools, our religious communities and outreach projects and for interfaith relations. We pray for Cardinal Vincent and we look forward very much to giving him a warm Brummie welcome when he comes to celebrate Mass at St Chad’s Cathedral on Sunday March 30.”
Born in Crosby, Liverpool, in November 1945, Archbishop Nichols studied for the priesthood at the Venerable English College in Rome from 1963 to 1970, gaining licences in philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University.
He was ordained as a priest in Rome in 1969 before taking a MA degree in theology at Manchester University.
In 1984 he was appointed general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference in England & Wales and was named Archbishop of Birmingham in 2000 before returning to Westminster in 2009 as Archbishop.