Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, OP (born 22 August 1945), is an English Catholic priest who served as Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001, being created a Cardinal in 2024.
Timothy Radcliffe | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Deacon; Master Emeritus, Order of Preachers | |
 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| In office | 1992–2001 |
| Predecessor | Damian Byrne |
| Successor | Carlos Azpiroz Costa |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Deacon of Nome di Gesù e Maria in Via Lata (2024–) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2 October 1971 by Christopher Butler |
| Created cardinal | 7 December 2024 by Pope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe 22 August 1945[1] London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Residence | Blackfriars Priory, Oxford, England |
| Occupation | Academic, priest, theologian |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Oxford |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Cardinal Radcliffe | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | none |
He is the only friar of the Dominican Order's English Province to hold the office of Master-General. On 7 December 2024, Pope Francis elevated Radcliffe to the College of Cardinals. Radcliffe was previously director of the Las Casas Institute at Oxford University, promoting social justice and human rights.
Biography
editFormation
editBorn in 1945 of aristocratic descent, the third of five sons to Lt-Col. Hugh Radcliffe (1911–1993)[2] and Mariequita née Pereira (1916–2005), he is in remainder to the Radcliffe baronetcy. His eldest brother, Mark Radcliffe (born 1938), was High Sheriff of Hampshire for 1996/97.[3]
After attending Worth Preparatory School (Worth School) in Sussex[4] and Downside School in Somerset[5], Radcliffe went up to read Theology at St John's College, Oxford, graduating MA (elected Honorary Fellow, 1993).[6] Then he entered the Dominican Order in 1965 and was ordained a priest in 1971.[7]
Career
editDuring the mid-1970s, Radcliffe was based at the West London Catholic Chaplaincy. A Fellow then Prior of Blackfriars, he taught scriptures at Oxford and was elected Prior Provincial of England in 1988.[8] In 1992, he was elected Master of the Dominican Order, holding that office until 2001.[7] During his tenure as Master, Radcliffe served as ex-officio Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.[9]
In 2001, after the expiration of his term as Master, Radcliffe took a sabbatical year, before in 2002, again serving as a simple member of the Dominican community in Oxford.
After serving for several years on the advisory board of the Las Casas Institute, which "critical reflection on questions of human dignity in the light of Catholic social teaching and theology", he was appointed the Institute's director in April 2014.[10] His term as director ended after two years and he continued thereafter as a member of its advisory board.[11][12] Radcliffe continued preaching and public speaking internationally.
In 2015, Radcliffe was named a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.[13][14][a]
Although not a topic Radcliffe has often written on in his numerous publications, he has publicly defended Catholic teaching on same-sex marriage:[16]
The Catholic Church does not oppose gay marriage. It considers it to be impossible... Marriage is founded on the glorious fact of sexual difference and its potential fertility. Without this, there would be no life on this planet, no evolution, no human beings, no future. Marriage takes all sorts of forms, from the alliance of clans through bride exchange to modern romantic love. We have come to see that it implies the equal love and dignity of man and woman. But everywhere and always, it remains founded on the union in difference of male and female. Through ceremonies and sacrament this is given a deeper meaning, which for Christians includes the union of God and humanity in Christ.
Radcliffe is a Patron of Positive Faith, the main ministry of Catholic AIDS Prevention and Support,[17] sits on the Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament,[18] and is a Patron of Embrace the Middle East.[19]
In January 2023, Pope Francis named Radcliffe to lead a three-day preparatory retreat for participants in the Synod on Synodality in October 2023.[20] He returned to deliver the preparatory retreat for the October 2024 part of the same synod.[21]
Cardinalate
editOn 6 October 2024, the Vatican announced that Radcliffe would be created a cardinal on 8 December,[22] his date of installation by the Pope at St Peter's Basilica later being brought forward to 7 December.[23]
Pope Francis granted him a rare dispensation from the requirement that only bishops can be cardinals, and on 7 December 2024 created Radcliffe a Cardinal, being assigned as a member of the Order of Cardinal Deacons to the deaconry of Chiesa dei Santi Nomi di Gesù e Maria.[24][25] At the consistory Radcliffe wore his Dominican white habit rather than a Cardinal's red robes, returning to the tradition that a member of an Order who becomes a Cardinal does not change his dress.[26]
Honours
editIn 2003, Oxford awarded Radcliffe an honorary doctorate of Divinity,[27] with the Chancellor (Rt Hon. Christopher Patten) citing the following:[28]
I present a man distinguished both for eloquence and for wit, a master theologian who has never disregarded ordinary people, a practical man who believes that religion and the teachings of theology must be constantly applied to the conduct of public life.
Radcliffe received the 2007 Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing for his book What Is the Point of Being A Christian?[29]
An Honorary Doctor of Philosophy of Providence College Rhode Island, Radcliffe also received in 2024 the degree of Hon. DD from Liverpool Hope University.[30]
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- Sing a New Song. The Christian Vocation. Dublin: Dominican Publications, 1999. ISBN 1-871552-70-2
- I Call You Friends. London: Continuum, 2001. ISBN 0-8264-7262-1
- Seven Last Words. London: Burns & Oates, 2004. ISBN 0-86012-365-0
- What Is the Point of Being A Christian? London and New York: Burns & Oates, 2005. ISBN 0-86012-369-3
- Just One Year: Prayer and Worship through the Christian Year, edited by Timothy Radcliffe with Jean Harrison. London: Darton, Longman & Todd for CAFOD and Christian Aid, 2006. ISBN 0-232-52669-9
- Why Go to Church? The Drama of the Eucharist. London: Continuum, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8264-9956-1. Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent book 2009
- Christians and Sexuality in the Time of AIDS, with Lytta Bassett. London: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-9911-0
- Take the Plunge: Living Baptism and Confirmation. London: Burns & Oates, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4411-1848-6
- The Hope that is Within You: interviewed by Raymond Friel. Redemptorist Publications. April 2016. ISBN 9780852314630
- Alive in God: A Christian Imagination. London: Bloomsbury Continuum 2019 ISBN 978-1-4729-7020-6
Articles
edit- "I was hungry and you gave me food". The Tablet. 264 (8856): 17. 7 August 2010.
Letters to the Order
edit- Vowed to Mission (1994)
- The Wellspring of Hope. Study and the Annunciation of the Good News (1996)
- The Identity of Religious Today (1996)
- Dominican Freedom and Responsibility. Towards a Spirituality of Government (1997)
- The Bear and the Nun : What is the Sense of Religious Life Today! (1998)
- The Promise of Life (1998)
- The Rosary (1998)
- Letter to our Brothers and Sisters in Initial Formation (1999)
- To Praise, to Bless, to Preach. The Mission of the Dominican Family (2000)
- The Throne of God (2000)
- St Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), Patroness of Europe (2000)
- The Parable of the Good Samaritan (2001)
- A City set on a hilltop cannot be hidden: A Contemplative Life (2001)
- Mission to a Runaway World: Future Citizens of the Kingdom (2002).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Catalogus – Province of England of the Order of Preachers (2013–2014), p. 41
- ^ "The Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great". Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "State Intelligence - Privy Council Office" (PDF). The London Gazette (54345): 3831. 14 March 1996.
- ^ "The Blue Paper 2024". Issuu. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ www.sjc.ox.ac.uk
- ^ "The Most Revd. Father Timothy Radcliffe". St John's College, Oxford. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP". Blackfriars Hall. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Catalogue of the Province of England of the Order of Preachers 2010, p. 7
- ^ "Radcliff to speak on search for wisdom | Emory University | Atlanta GA". news.emory.edu. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "People". Blackfriars Hall. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP". Blackfriars Hall. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Las Casas Institute". Blackfriars Hall. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Rinunce e nomine (continuazione), 16.05.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ O'Loughlin, Michael (16 May 2015). "Controversial preacher, writer Timothy Radcliffe given Vatican role". Crux. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ McElwee, Joshua J. (31 August 2016). "Francis creates new Vatican office for charity, justice, peace, migration". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ Radcliffe, Timothy (8 March 2012). "'Can Marriage ever Change?'". The Tablet. UK. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "About PositiveFaith". Positive Faith | CAPS. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament". Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Meet the Team". Embrace the Middle East. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Lamb, Christopher (23 January 2023). "Pope asks Fr Timothy Radcliffe to lead bishops' synod retreat". The Tablet. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Campisi, Tiziana; Cernuzio, Salvatore (16 September 2024). "Synod leaders present details of October General Assembly". Vatican News. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Radcliffe, Timothy (6 October 2024). "Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP to become a Cardinal". Independent Catholic News.
- ^ Brockhaus, Hannah (12 October 2024). "Vatican Shares Pope Francis' Schedule for December Consistory to Create Cardinals". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico: Assegnazione dei Titoli e delle Diaconie ai nuovi Cardinali, 07.12.2024" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ McDonagh, Melanie (8 December 2024). "Another English cardinal: the view from outside St Peter's Basilica". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Corre, Mikael (9 December 2024). "Nouveaux cardinaux : le pape François appelle à un changement de style". La Croix International (in French).
- ^ "Timothy Radcliffe's Honorary D.D. Citation". Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2006.
- ^ Oxford University Gazette, "Chancellor's Honorary Degree Ceremony, 21 November 2003", Supplement (1) to Gazette No. 4677, Wednesday, 26 November 2003, https://web.archive.org/web/20130516215234/https://www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2003-4/supps/1_4677.htm#11Ref. Retrieved 3rd December 2023
- ^ "Past Winners". Michael Ramsey Prize. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ www.hope.ac.uk
Notes
edit- ^ The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace ceased function in January 2017 with the erection of the dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.[15]
External links
edit- A selection of Radcliffe's sermons
- The 15 Letters to the Order written by Radcliffe as Master of the Dominican Order between 1993 and 2001