Peter Smith (bishop)
English Roman Catholic bishop (1943–2020)
Peter David Gregory Smith (21 October 1943 – 6 March 2020) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church , serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark . He had previously served as the Bishop of East Anglia (1995–2001), Metropolitan Archbishop of Cardiff (2001–2010) and Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark (2010–2019).[1]
Early life
Smith was born on 21 October 1943 in Battersea , London, England. He was educated at Clapham College , then an all-boys Catholic voluntary-aided grammar school . He studied at Exeter University , where he earned his bachelor's degree in law . He then undertook studies for the priesthood at St. John's Seminary in Wonersh and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome (earning his doctorate in canon law ).
Ordained ministry
Smith was ordained to the priesthood on 5 July 1972. After doing pastoral work from 1972 to 1974, Smith began teaching canon law at his alma mater , St John's Seminary, Wonersh , in 1977. He then served as a curate in Thornton Heath (1984–1985) and as the rector of St John's Seminary (1985–1995).
Episcopate
On 21 March 1995, Smith was appointed Bishop of East Anglia by Pope John Paul II . He received his episcopal consecration on the following 21 May from Cardinal Basil Hume OSB , with Archbishop Michael George Bowen and Bishop Alan Charles Clark serving as co-consecrators . Smith was later named Archbishop of Cardiff on 26 October 2001,[2] following the resignation of the Capuchin , John Ward , amid a controversy about paedophile priests in the archdiocese .[3] [4] In regard to these sexual abuse cases, Smith declared that he "wanted to help people bind up the wounds and bring healing".[5] He also voiced his opposition to living wills in 2004, fearing that "a proxy could make a decision to do away with someone for the motive of killing someone".[6]
Smith has been chair of the Catholic Truth Society and the Department for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales from 1998 to 2019. He was also chairman of the Central Religious Advisory Committee (CRAC) of the BBC and ITC from 2001 to 2004. In 2002 he was made a sub-prelate and chaplain of the Venerable Order of Saint John . In 2004 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Lampeter and also of Cardiff University in 2006. On 30 April 2010, Smith was named as the Archbishop of Southwark , replacing Archbishop Kevin McDonald who resigned the see due to ill health. He was installed on 10 June 2010.[7] He also served as Master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom from 2010. On 28 October 2015, Smith opened the new Saint Jude Information Centre during the 60th anniversary of the Shrine of Saint Jude.[8] He was made a Guild Life member by Fr Kevin Alban in 2016.[9] On 10 June 2019, Smith's resignation from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Southwark was accepted by Pope Francis, and Bishop John Wilson was named as his successor.[10]
McSweeney controversy
In March 2015 it was heard at Southwark Crown Court that Smith was one of two bishops responsible for allowing Anthony McSweeney to be appointed as a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia following an incident in 1998 in which "a housekeeper found what she said were pornographic images at his [McSweeney's] home".[11] The matter was regarded by Smith as an incident for clergy discipline and not investigated by the police. McSweeney has since been jailed for abusing boys at the Grafton House children's home between 1978 and 1981.[citation needed ]
References
External links
Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia
Churches
St John the Baptist Cathedral, Norwich - Cathedral of St John the Baptist
St Edmund's Church, Bury St Edmunds
Mother of Good Counsel Priory, Clare
Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church, Cambridge
St Laurence's Church, Cambridge
St Etheldreda's Church, Ely
Sacred Heart Church, St Ives
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Lowestoft
St Mary's Church, Great Yarmouth
Our Lady and St Peter, Aldeburgh
Saint Pancras Church, Ipswich
St Mary's Church, Ipswich
St Mary Magdalen's Church, Ipswich
St Mark's Church, Ipswich
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Woodbridge
St Dominic's Church, Downham Market
Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, King's Lynn
Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham
Our Lady and St Charles Borromeo, Wisbech
Saint Peter and All Souls, Peterborough
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff
Churches
Our Lady and St Michael, Abergavenny
St Alban-on-the-Moors, Cardiff
St Joseph, Cardiff
St Mary of the Angels, Cardiff
St Patrick, Cardiff
St Peter, Cardiff
St Francis Xavier, Hereford
St Mary and St Michael, Llanarth
St Mary, Monmouth
St Michael, Newport
St Patrick, Newport
St Dyfrig, Treforest
St David Lewis and St Francis Xavier, Usk
Patronal Feast of the Diocese
Schools
St Richard Gwyn High School, Barry
Archbishop McGrath High School, Bridgend
Corpus Christi High School, Cardiff
St David's Sixth Form College, Cardiff
St Illtyd's High School, Cardiff
St John's College, Cardiff
St Mary's High School, Lugwardine
Bishop Hedley High School, Merthyr Tydfil
St John's High School, Newport
St Alban's High School, Pontypool
Cardinal Newman School, Rhydyfelin
Mary Immaculate High School, Wenvoe
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
Churches
St George's Cathedral, Southwark - Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George
Sacred Heart Church, Battersea
Corpus Christi Church, Brixton
St Osmund's Church, Barnes
Sacred Heart Church, Camberwell
St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Canterbury
St Michael the Archangel Church, Chatham
St Paul's Church, Dover
St Thomas More Church, Dulwich
Our Lady of Loreto and St Winefride's Church, Kew
St Agatha's Church, Kingston
St Mary Magdalen Church, Mortlake
Our Lady of the Angels Church, Erith
Our Lady of Gillingham Church
Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Richmond
Polish Church of St. John the Evangelist, Putney
St Augustine's Church, Ramsgate
St Ethelbert's Church, Ramsgate
St Elizabeth of Portugal Church, Richmond
St Joseph Church, Roehampton
St Mary's Church, Clapham
St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham
Sts Simon and Jude Church, Streatham Hill
St Raphael's Church, Surbiton
St Anne's Church, Vauxhall
St Patrick's Church, Waterloo
Christ the King Church, Wimbledon Park
St Winefride Church, South Wimbledon
Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon
St Peter's Church, Woolwich
Schools
Bishop Challoner School
Bishop Thomas Grant School
Bonus Pastor Catholic College
The Cedars School
Christ the King Sixth Form College
Coloma Convent Girls' School
Donhead Preparatory School
Holy Cross School, New Malden
Holy Cross Preparatory School
The John Fisher School
La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School
The Laurels School
Marymount International School London
Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School
Richard Challoner School
Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell
St Anselm's Catholic School
St Catherine's Catholic School for Girls
St Columba's Catholic Boys' School
St Edmund's Catholic School, Dover
St Francis Xavier College, Clapham
St Gregory's Catholic School
St John Bosco College, Battersea
St John Fisher Catholic School
St John's Catholic Comprehensive School
St Joseph's College, Upper Norwood
St Mary's Roman Catholic High School, Croydon
St Matthew Academy
St Michael's Catholic College
St Paul's Academy, Abbey Wood
St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls
St Simon Stock Catholic School
St Thomas More Catholic School, Eltham
St Thomas the Apostle College
St Ursula's Convent School
Thomas More Catholic School, Purley
Ursuline College, Westgate-on-Sea
Ursuline High School, Wimbledon
Wimbledon College