Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville
Encyclopedia
Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville (27 June 1929 – 3 November 2007) was the seventh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham
from 25 March 1982 until his retirement on 12 June 1999, having formerly been a priest
of the Diocese
of Arundel and Brighton
and chaplain of Fisher House, Cambridge.
, west of Paris, into a distinguished French family originally from Mauritius
. He was a cousin and namesake of Maurice Couve de Murville
(1907–1999), a French politician in the Huguenot
branch of the family, who served as Foreign Minister (1958–1968) and briefly Prime Minister
under General Charles de Gaulle
. In 1936, his father took him from France along with his mother and twin brothers to settle at Leatherhead
in Surrey, at the age of 7. His mother died in 1945 in England. She was buried alongside other Souchon family members in Effingham, Surrey.
He was educated by Benedictine
s at Downside School
near Bath, and read history at Trinity College, Cambridge
(MA
). He studied at the seminary
of Saint-Sulpice
, and earned his Licentiate of Sacred Theology
(STL) from the Institut Catholique in Paris. He was influenced by the worker-priest
movement in France, and became life-long friends with Jean-Marie Lustiger, future Cardinal
Archbishop of Paris
.
He was ordained a priest on the Feast of SS Peter and Paul on 29 June 1957, for the Diocese of Southwark
, by Bishop Cowderoy
. His first appointment was as curate
at St Anselm's, Dartford
(1957–60), and as curate at St Joseph's, Brighton
(1960–61). He later served as Priest-in-Charge at St Francis, Moulsecoomb
(1961–64). In 1961, he was also appointed as chaplain at the University of Sussex
. He established a Catholic chaplaincy in Brighton in 1964, called Howard House.
He received an MPhil in Assyro-Babylonian studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London
in 1975, and moved to Cambridge
in 1977, when he was appointed chaplain at Cambridge University, based at Fisher House. He remained in Cambridge until the surprise announcement from the Holy See on 22 January 1982 that he was to succeed Archbishop George Patrick Dwyer
as Archbishop of Birmingham, the third most senior post in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. He was ordained as Bishop, and immediately installed as Archbishop at St Chad's Metropolitan Cathedral on the Feast of the Annunciation, 25 March 1982. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Bruno Heim, Apostolic Nuncio, assisted by Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, and Bishop Basil Christopher Butler OSB.
at Coventry Airport
on Pentecost
Sunday, 30 May 1982, the third day of the Pope
's Pastoral Visit to Great Britain, and participate in the open-air Pontifical Mass which followed. The red silk chasuble worn by His Holiness on that occasion has been retained by the Archdiocese of Birmingham and is worn by the Archbishop on suitable grand occasions.
He was particularly involved in developing religious education of the laity
in his Archdiocese, and helped to establish the Maryvale Institute
, near Birmingham
, as an international Catholic College for Theology, Religious Education and Catechesis. Cardinal Newman established the English Congregation of the Oratory at Maryvale on 1 February 1848. With validation from the Pontifical University
, Maynooth in Ireland
and the Open University
, it now offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree programmes.
He was Chairman of the Governing Body of the Newman College of Higher Education (now Newman University College
) in Birmingham. In 2007, it was announced that Newman College would become a University College and obtain degree-awarding powers. He fostered ties between Oscott and the Catholic University of Louvain, and established links with Birmingham University.
Archbishop Maurice was a member of the Friends of Cardinal Newman, and supported the Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory
in the Cause for the beatification
and canonisation of Newman, their founder.
The last years of his episcopate were tarnished by a series of paedophile scandals involving priests in his archdiocese, including in particular Samuel Penney and Eric Taylor. In 1999, following a prostate
operation, he submitted his resignation to the Pope, who permitted him to retire five years early, on health grounds.
In November 1994 he was awarded an honorary degree
from the Open University
as Doctor of the University.
. He was an enthusiastic Principal Chaplain of the British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (1987–1991, 2001–2007) and knighted by The Duke of Castro in 1994 as Ecclesiastical Knight Grand Cross of Grace in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
. He became an Honorary Doctor of Divinity
at Birmingham University in 1996.
He presided at Mass
in St Chad's Cathedral for the last time on 26 March 2007, on the 25th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination, with Bishops Pargeter, McGough and Kenney as concelebrants.
He had a number of publications to his credit. A few months before his death, he finished a translation of Jean Charbonnier's comprehensive history of the Catholic Church in China. He had battled prostate cancer
several years before. His first signs of slowing down came with a hip replacement in November 2006. However, he remained active with his much loved pursuits of walking and gardening. In October 2007, before embarking on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
, he was admitted to hospital and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which was recognised as terminal.
On 3 November 2007, aged 78, he died a peaceful death at St Joseph's Nursing Home in Littlehampton
, West Sussex
. A Funeral Mass was held at St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham on 21 November 2007. His coat of arms, displayed on the 1993 Organ case in the Cathedral, comprises three cockerels, which is a brood or couve in French.
Archbishop of Birmingham
The Archbishop of Birmingham heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Birmingham....
from 25 March 1982 until his retirement on 12 June 1999, having formerly been a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Arundel and Brighton
Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey. The diocese was established on 28 May 1965, having previously been a part of the larger Archdiocese of Southwark.-Bishops:There have been four...
and chaplain of Fisher House, Cambridge.
Early career and priesthood
Maurice Couve de Murville was born in Saint-Germain-en-LayeSaint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
, west of Paris, into a distinguished French family originally from Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. He was a cousin and namesake of Maurice Couve de Murville
Maurice Couve de Murville
Maurice Couve de Murville was a French diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1968 and Prime Minister from 1968 to 1969 under the presidency of General de Gaulle....
(1907–1999), a French politician in the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
branch of the family, who served as Foreign Minister (1958–1968) and briefly Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
under General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. In 1936, his father took him from France along with his mother and twin brothers to settle at Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
in Surrey, at the age of 7. His mother died in 1945 in England. She was buried alongside other Souchon family members in Effingham, Surrey.
He was educated by Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
s at Downside School
Downside School
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school for children aged 11 to 18, located in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Norton Radstock and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, south west England. It is attached to Downside Abbey...
near Bath, and read history at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
(MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
). He studied at the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of Saint-Sulpice
Saint-Sulpice (Paris)
Saint-Sulpice is a Roman Catholic church in Paris, France, on the east side of the Place Saint-Sulpice, in the Luxembourg Quarter of the VIe arrondissement. At 113 metres long, 58 metres in width and 34 metres tall, it is only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame and thus the second largest church in...
, and earned his Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology is the title of the second cycle of studies of a Faculty of Theology offered by a pontifical universities or ecclesiastical faculties of sacred theology. An Ecclesiastical Faculty offers three cycles of study: Baccalaureate or fundamentals, Licentiate or specialized,...
(STL) from the Institut Catholique in Paris. He was influenced by the worker-priest
Worker-Priest
Worker-priest was a missionary initiative by the French Catholic Church in particular for priests to take up work in such places as car factories to experience the everyday life of the working class...
movement in France, and became life-long friends with Jean-Marie Lustiger, future Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Archbishop of Paris
Archbishop of Paris
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on...
.
He was ordained a priest on the Feast of SS Peter and Paul on 29 June 1957, for the Diocese of Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, by Bishop Cowderoy
Cyril Conrad Cowderoy
Archbishop Cyril Conrad Cowderoy was a priest for over 45 years and a bishop for over 26 years in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.Born in Sidcup on 5 May 1905, he was consecrated and ordained as parish priest in Southwark on 30 May 1931 by Cardinal Bernard William Griffin and Bishops Beck...
. His first appointment was as curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St Anselm's, Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
(1957–60), and as curate at St Joseph's, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
(1960–61). He later served as Priest-in-Charge at St Francis, Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb is a large suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area...
(1961–64). In 1961, he was also appointed as chaplain at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
. He established a Catholic chaplaincy in Brighton in 1964, called Howard House.
He received an MPhil in Assyro-Babylonian studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1975, and moved to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1977, when he was appointed chaplain at Cambridge University, based at Fisher House. He remained in Cambridge until the surprise announcement from the Holy See on 22 January 1982 that he was to succeed Archbishop George Patrick Dwyer
George Patrick Dwyer
George Patrick Dwyer was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham from 1965 to 1981.-Life and ministry:...
as Archbishop of Birmingham, the third most senior post in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. He was ordained as Bishop, and immediately installed as Archbishop at St Chad's Metropolitan Cathedral on the Feast of the Annunciation, 25 March 1982. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Bruno Heim, Apostolic Nuncio, assisted by Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, and Bishop Basil Christopher Butler OSB.
Archbishop of Birmingham, 1982–99
One of his first duties was to welcome Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
at Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport is located south southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about outside Coventry boundaries...
on Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
Sunday, 30 May 1982, the third day of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
's Pastoral Visit to Great Britain, and participate in the open-air Pontifical Mass which followed. The red silk chasuble worn by His Holiness on that occasion has been retained by the Archdiocese of Birmingham and is worn by the Archbishop on suitable grand occasions.
He was particularly involved in developing religious education of the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
in his Archdiocese, and helped to establish the Maryvale Institute
Maryvale Institute
The Maryvale Institute is a college of further and higher education, in Birmingham, UK. It specialises in the provision of part-time and distance learning courses to the lay faithful and ministers of the Roman Catholic Church....
, near Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, as an international Catholic College for Theology, Religious Education and Catechesis. Cardinal Newman established the English Congregation of the Oratory at Maryvale on 1 February 1848. With validation from the Pontifical University
Pontifical university
A pontifical university is a Catholic University established by and directly under the authority of the Holy See. It is licensed to grant academic degrees in sacred faculties, the most important of which are Sacred Theology, Canon Law, Sacred Scripture and...
, Maynooth in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
, it now offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree programmes.
He was Chairman of the Governing Body of the Newman College of Higher Education (now Newman University College
Newman University College
Newman University College is a university college offering academic degrees and teacher training in Birmingham, England.Known as Newman College of Higher Education until January 2008, it has the highest employment of graduates rate of UK universities and is in the top 25% of UK universities for...
) in Birmingham. In 2007, it was announced that Newman College would become a University College and obtain degree-awarding powers. He fostered ties between Oscott and the Catholic University of Louvain, and established links with Birmingham University.
Archbishop Maurice was a member of the Friends of Cardinal Newman, and supported the Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory
Birmingham Oratory
The Birmingham Oratory is a Catholic oratory and church, on the Hagley Road, in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston in England.-History:The church was constructed between 1907 and 1910 in the Baroque style as a memorial to Cardinal Newman, founder of the English Oratory...
in the Cause for the beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
and canonisation of Newman, their founder.
The last years of his episcopate were tarnished by a series of paedophile scandals involving priests in his archdiocese, including in particular Samuel Penney and Eric Taylor. In 1999, following a prostate
Prostate
The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....
operation, he submitted his resignation to the Pope, who permitted him to retire five years early, on health grounds.
In November 1994 he was awarded an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
as Doctor of the University.
Later life
In retirement, he returned to Sussex and lived in HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
. He was an enthusiastic Principal Chaplain of the British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (1987–1991, 2001–2007) and knighted by The Duke of Castro in 1994 as Ecclesiastical Knight Grand Cross of Grace in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
. He became an Honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
at Birmingham University in 1996.
He presided at Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
in St Chad's Cathedral for the last time on 26 March 2007, on the 25th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination, with Bishops Pargeter, McGough and Kenney as concelebrants.
He had a number of publications to his credit. A few months before his death, he finished a translation of Jean Charbonnier's comprehensive history of the Catholic Church in China. He had battled prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
several years before. His first signs of slowing down came with a hip replacement in November 2006. However, he remained active with his much loved pursuits of walking and gardening. In October 2007, before embarking on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, he was admitted to hospital and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which was recognised as terminal.
On 3 November 2007, aged 78, he died a peaceful death at St Joseph's Nursing Home in Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. A Funeral Mass was held at St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham on 21 November 2007. His coat of arms, displayed on the 1993 Organ case in the Cathedral, comprises three cockerels, which is a brood or couve in French.