ARCHBISHOP GODFREY, appointed to Westminster just two years ago as the seventh Archbishop, now becomes the seventh Cardinal Archbishop of the diocese. Before that, he was seventh Archbishop of Liverpool.
Aged 69, Britain's new Cardinal was the first Apostolic Delegate here; his appointment, in 1938, was one of the last major appointments made by Pope Pius Xl.
In his position as Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Godfrey obtained an unrivalled knowledge of every diocese in Britain and has been a "maker" of bishops for this country.
In fact he has been a "maker" of priests and bishops nearly all his own priestly and episcopal life—as a Professor at Ushaw College, Durham, as vice-rector (under Cardinal Hinsley) and then Rector of the Venerable English College, Rome, and then as Delegate.
During his 15 years as the Holy Father's personal representative in this country, he was the Holy See's chief individual advisor for episcopal appointments, himself consecrating 11 Bishops here.
The new Cardinal was born in Liverpool and went to St. Cuthhert's College at Ushaw when he was only 13. He was ordained in Rome in 1916.
Archbishop Godfrey is the sixth old boy of St. Cuthbert's College, Ushaw, Durham to receive the Red Hat. Three of them Cardinals, Wiseman, Bourne, and Hinsley were his predecessors at Westminster. The others were Cardinal Merry del Val, who became Papal Secretary of State, and Cardinal de la Puente, Archbishop of Bingos, Spain.
Within 48 hours of the announcement that Archbishop Godfrey had been created a Cardinal, some 1,500 telegrams of good wishes had been received at Archbishop's House, from other prelates who had been made Cardinals, from Nuncios and civic bodies and from priests and lay people of the Westminster and Liverpool Archdioceses.