Cardinal Vincent Gerard Nichols, Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster (England), was born in Crosby in the Archdiocese of Liverpool on 8 November 1945. After his primary and secondary studies, he entered the Venerable English College in Rome in 1963. He attended the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he obtained his licentiate in theology. Returning to England, he continued his studies at the University of Manchester where he obtained a Master of Art degree with a thesis on the theology of Saint John Fisher.

He was ordained a priest on 21 November 1969.

Back in his diocese, he led a group of priests managing pastoral care for the poor. In Liverpool in 1979, he was appointed as vice-chancellor of the archdiocese. A year later, he became the director of the Upholland Northern Institute. In 1984, he was nominated as general secretary of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

He was appointed titular Bishop of Othona and Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster on 5 November 1991, and was ordained a bishop on 24 January 1992. He was responsible for the pastoral care of the northern area of the archdiocese.

He has participated in several synods in Rome, including those for consecrated life, for Oceania and for Europe. Following the death of late Cardinal Hume, he was appointed as chief administrator of the Archdiocese of Westminster.

On 15 February 2000, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Birmingham.

On 3 April 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster.

He has served as president of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales since 30 April 2009.

He has also been the president of the Santa Marta Group, launched in 2014 by Pope Francis. The Santa Marta Group is composed of police chiefs, bishops, religious sisters and members of civil society, and aims to forge relationships of trust between police and the Church, especially religious sisters, in the fight against human trafficking.  It also provides accompaniment and assistance to the victims to help them reintegrate into society.

In October 2014, he participated in the Third Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and in October 2015 in the XIV General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family.

In October 2016, he was elected Vice-President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE).

He was created and proclaimed cardinal by Pope Francis in the Consistory of 22 February 2014, and was assigned the titular church Santissimo Redentore e Sant’Alfonso in via Merulana.

Member of:

• Dicasteries: for Bishops, for the Clergy; for Promoting Christian Unity.