Paul McAleenan

The Right Reverend Paul McAleenan
Titular Bishop of Mercia
McAleenan in 2024
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Westminster
See	Mercia
Appointed	24 November 2015
Installed	25 January 2016
Predecessor	Anthony Edward Pevec
Other post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster
Orders
Ordination	8 June 1985 by  Basil Hume
Consecration	25 January 2016 by  Vincent Nichols
Personal details
Born	(1951-07-15) 15 July 1951 (age 73) Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Nationality	Irish
Alma mater	St. Patrick's College, Thurles

Paul McAleenan (born 15 July 1951) is a Northern Irish-born Auxiliary Bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster in England.

Biography

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 15 July 1951, McAleenan attended St Gabriel's Secondary School in Belfast. ^[1] He worked in Engineering prior to entering the priesthood in 1979. McAleenan trained for the priesthood in St. Patrick's College, Thurles in Tipperary County, Ireland, and was ordained in 1985, ^[2] for the Diocese of Westminster.

McAleenan served for 30 years in several English parishes. He was named Canon prior to his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster in November 2015. ^[3] As an auxiliary bishop, he has pastoral oversight for the deaneries of Hertfordshire.

Within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, McAleenan is the Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees and a member of the Department for International Affairs. ^[4]

British human rights activist and journalist William Gomes has criticised Bishop McAleenan for ignoring him and others with lived experiences of racism ^[5]

References

1. Bishop Paul McAleenan
2. Paul McAleenan Bishops of England and Wales
3. Two new Auxiliary Bishops for Diocese of Westminster Tuesday, November 24, 2015.
4. Paul McAleenan Bishops of England and Wales
5. "Has the Catholic Church Failed in its Efforts to Eradicate Racism?". 19 April 2022.