New bishop for Southwark

Pope John Paul II appointed Mgr Canon John Hine as Auxiliar Bishop in Southwark Archdiocese on Friday. The post gives him the titular See of Beverley. He will be ordained bishop by Archbishop Michael Bowen of Southwark on Tuesday 27 February in St George's Cathedral, Southwark, at 11.30am. As Auxiliary Bishop, Mgr Hine will be based at West Malling, in Kent. Archbishop Michael Bowen of Southwark, said: "I am delighted that the Holy Father has made this appointment, which will be welcomed by the people and priests of the diocese. Mgr John has given excellent service to the diocese as Vicar General and has a wealth of pastoral experience, which will stand him in good stead for his ministry as a bishop." Commenting on his appointment, Mgr John Hine said: "I look forward to serving the priests and people of our wonderful diocese in this role. I ask for prayers, as I am very conscious of the challenges and opportunities that face our Church today. My hopes are that we can encourage and inspire each other with a new confidence and enthusiasm for the Good News." John Hine was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 26 July 1938. He studied under the Jesuits in Lancashire at the prep school to Stonyhurst and then at Stonyhurst, before moving to Mayfield Xaverian College in Sussex. In 1956 he began studying for the priesthood at the Venerable English College in Rome for the Archdiocese of Southwark. He was ordained priest by Cardinal William Godfrey in 1962, and then served in parishes in Worcester Park, Maidstone and Chatham. In 1978, he became the first parish priest of the new parish of Bearsted, and also became Secretary, and then Chairman, of the Kent Schools' Commission. In 1986, Mgr Hine was appointed Vicar General and Chancellor of Southwark Archdiocese, and in 1997 he was appointed Archbishop's Representative on child protection issues.