Timothy Radcliffe

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The Very Reverend

Timothy Radcliffe

OP
Master Emeritus of the Order of Preachers
Timothy Radcliffe.jpg
Church Roman Catholic Church
In office1992–2001
PredecessorDamian Byrne
Successor Carlos Azpiroz Costa
Personal details
Born
Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe

(1945-08-22) 22 August 1945 (age 78) [1]
London, England
NationalityBritish
Denomination Catholic
Residence Blackfriars, Oxford
OccupationPriest, academic, theologian

Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, OP (born 22 August 1945) is an English Catholic priest and Dominican friar who served as master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001. He is the only member of the order's English Province to hold that office.

Contents

Radcliffe served as director of the Las Casas Institute of Blackfriars, Oxford, which promotes social justice and human rights. [2] He has been a supporter of outreach to LGBT Catholics. [3]

Biography

Formation

Timothy Radcliffe was born on 22 August 1945 in London. He studied at Worth Preparatory School (Worth School) in Sussex, Downside School in Somerset and St John's College, Oxford. He entered the Dominican Order in 1965 and was ordained a priest in 1971. [4]

Career

During the mid-1970s, Radcliffe was based at the West London Catholic Chaplaincy. He taught scriptures at Oxford and was elected provincial of England in 1988. [5] In 1992, he was elected master of the Dominican Order, holding that office until 2001. [4] During his tenure as master, Radcliffe served as ex-officio grand chancellor of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. [6]

In 2001, after the expiration of his term as master, Radcliffe took a sabbatical year. In 2002, he became again a simple member of the Dominican community of Oxford. He previously led the Las Casas Institute, dealing which leads with issues of ethics, governance and social justice at Blackfriars, Oxford. [7] He now preaches and carries out public speaking internationally.

In 2015, Radcliffe was named a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. [8] [9] [lower-alpha 1]

Although not a topic Radcliffe has often written on in his numerous publications, he has publicly defended the teaching of the Catholic Church on same-sex marriage: [11]

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.

In January 2023, Pope Francis named Radcliffe to lead a three-day preparatory retreat for participants in the synod on synodality in October 2023. [12]

Honours

In 2003, Oxford awarded Radcliffe an honorary Doctor of Divinity. [13] The Chancellor, the Right Honorable Christopher Patten, ended the award citation with the following words: [14]

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? [15]

Radcliffe is also patron of Positive Faith, the main ministry of Catholic AIDS Prevention and Support, [16] sits on the Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament, [17] and is a patron of Embrace the Middle East. [18]

In 2024, Liverpool Hope University, awarded an Honorary Doctorate to Radcliffe. [19]

Bibliography

Books

Articles

Letters to the Order

Notes

  1. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace ceased its functions in January 2017 with the erection of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. [10]

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References

  1. Catalogus – Province of England of the Order of Preachers (2013–2014), p. 41
  2. "Las Casas Institute". bfriars.ox.ac.uk/hall/las-casas/las-casas-people/. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  3. "'Orthodoxy is spacious': At retreat, synod members hear about women's hopes, LGBTQ issues". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP". Blackfriars Hall. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. Catalogue of the Province of England of the Order of Preachers 2010, p. 7
  6. "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.
  7. "Faith & the Imagination - Timothy Radcliffe (English Literature and Creative Writing Annual Priory Lecture), Wednesday 26 October, 7:30pm". Lancaster University. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  8. "Rinunce e nomine (continuazione), 16.05.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  9. O'Loughlin, Michael (16 May 2015). "Controversial preacher, writer Timothy Radcliffe given Vatican role". Crux. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  10. McElwee, Joshua J. (31 August 2016). "Francis creates new Vatican office for charity, justice, peace, migration". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  11. Radcliffe, Timothy (8 March 2012). "'Can Marriage ever Change?'". The Tablet . UK. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. Lamb, Christopher (23 January 2023). "Pope asks Fr Timothy Radcliffe to lead bishops' synod retreat". The Tablet . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  13. Timothy Radcliffe's Honorary D.D. Citation
  14. 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
  15. "Past Winners". Michael Ramsey Prize. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  16. "About PositiveFaith". Positive Faith | CAPS. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  17. "Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament". Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  18. "Meet the Team". Embrace the Middle East. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  19. Willsher, James. "Liverpool Hope University awards Fr Timothy Radcliffe Honorary Doctorate". www.catholiceducation.org.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Master General of the Dominican Order
1992–2001
Succeeded by