Adrian Hastings
Encyclopedia
Adrian Hastings was a church historian, controversial Catholic priest and author of "Wiriyamu massacre" mistification.
, Malaya
, but his mother moved to England to bring up the children when he was little more than a baby. He was educated at Douai School
(1943-46) and Worcester College, Oxford
(1946-49).
In his final year at Oxford, Hastings discerned a missionary vocation. He joined the White Fathers
but later left the order to become a secular priest
in the Diocese of Masaka
, Uganda
.
Hastings studied theology at the Collegium Urbanum, the college of the Congregation of Propaganda in Rome
. He was ordained in 1955 and awarded a doctorate in 1958. His lifelong association with The Tablet
dates from this period. In 1958 he also obtained a teaching degree from Christ's College, Cambridge
and in 1959 he took up his priestly functions in Uganda.
to priests in Africa. His notes on these documents were later published. He also agitated for a relaxation of the discipline of clerical celibacy
in the African context, attributing the low numbers of black clergy to the cultural alienness of this requirement.
In 1966, after bouts of malaria
, Hastings returned to England and became active in ecumenical dialgoue through the preparatory commission of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. He was also commissioned by a number of Anglican dioceses in Africa to prepare a report on Christian and customary marriage
.
From 1972 to 1976 Hastings was on the staff of an ecumenical missionary school, the College of the Ascension in Selly Oak
, Birmingham
.
In 1973 Hastings brought the alleged massacres carried out by the Portuguese army during the Mozambican War of Independence
to world attention, first through The Times
and later at the United Nations
. The British priest created a storm in 1973 with an article in The Times
about the so-called "Wiriyamu massacre", in the Portuguese-ruled overseas territory of Mozambique, alleging that the Portuguese Army had massacred 400 villagers at the village of Wiriyamu, near Tete, in December 1972. His report was printed a week before the Portuguese prime minister, Marcelo Caetano
, was due to visit Britain to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance
.
Efforts to locate 'Wiriyamu' or any massacre of 400 have so far proved fruitless.
Portugal's growing isolation following Hastings's claims has often been cited as a factor that helped to bring about the Carnation Revolution
coup which deposed Marcelo Caetano, the leader of the Estado Novo regime that ruled the Portuguese Empire
, in 1974.
.
. Although this was a clear breach of canon law
he was never formally excommunicated, largely because since leaving Uganda he had not been subject to the oversight of any particular bishop. On occasion he continued to exercise his priestly ministry after his marriage.
From 1982 to 1985 Hastings was Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Zimbabwe
. From 1985 to his retirement in 1996 he was Professor of Theology at the University of Leeds
. From 1985 to 2000 he edited the Journal of Religion in Africa.
Late in life Hastings was active in raising awareness of the atrocities accompanying the breakup of Yugoslavia and the reassertion of Serbia
n control over Kosovo
. He was a founding member of the Alliance to Defend Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Hastings died in Leeds
on 30 May 2001 and was buried at St Mary's Church, East Hendred
, Oxfordshire
.
Early life
Hastings, a grandson of George Woodyatt Hastings, was born in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, but his mother moved to England to bring up the children when he was little more than a baby. He was educated at Douai School
Douai School
Douai School was the public school that was run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999.- History :...
(1943-46) and Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
(1946-49).
In his final year at Oxford, Hastings discerned a missionary vocation. He joined the White Fathers
White Fathers
The missionary society known as "White Fathers" , after their dress, is a Roman Catholic Society of Apostolic Life founded in 1868 by the first Archbishop of Algiers, later Cardinal Lavigerie, as the Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa of Algeria, and is also now known as the Society of the...
but later left the order to become a secular priest
Secular clergy
The term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or members of a religious order.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, the secular clergy are ministers, such as deacons and priests, who do not belong to a religious order...
in the Diocese of Masaka
Masaka
Masaka is a town in Central Uganda, lying west of Lake Victoria. It is the chief town of Masaka District. Besides being the headquarters of Masaka District, the town is the regional headquarters and largest metropolitan area in Lyantonde District, Sembabule District, Lwengo District, Bukomansimbi...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Hastings studied theology at the Collegium Urbanum, the college of the Congregation of Propaganda in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He was ordained in 1955 and awarded a doctorate in 1958. His lifelong association with The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
dates from this period. In 1958 he also obtained a teaching degree from Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
and in 1959 he took up his priestly functions in Uganda.
Ministry
In Uganda Hastings served in pastoral and teaching functions and was charged with interpreting the documents of the Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
to priests in Africa. His notes on these documents were later published. He also agitated for a relaxation of the discipline of clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy is the discipline by which some or all members of the clergy in certain religions are required to be unmarried. Since these religions consider deliberate sexual thoughts, feelings, and behavior outside of marriage to be sinful, clerical celibacy also requires abstension from these...
in the African context, attributing the low numbers of black clergy to the cultural alienness of this requirement.
In 1966, after bouts of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, Hastings returned to England and became active in ecumenical dialgoue through the preparatory commission of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. He was also commissioned by a number of Anglican dioceses in Africa to prepare a report on Christian and customary marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
.
From 1972 to 1976 Hastings was on the staff of an ecumenical missionary school, the College of the Ascension in Selly Oak
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
In 1973 Hastings brought the alleged massacres carried out by the Portuguese army during the Mozambican War of Independence
Mozambican War of Independence
The Mozambican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front or FRELIMO , and Portugal...
to world attention, first through The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and later at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. The British priest created a storm in 1973 with an article in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
about the so-called "Wiriyamu massacre", in the Portuguese-ruled overseas territory of Mozambique, alleging that the Portuguese Army had massacred 400 villagers at the village of Wiriyamu, near Tete, in December 1972. His report was printed a week before the Portuguese prime minister, Marcelo Caetano
Marcelo Caetano
Marcelo José das Neves Alves Caetano, GCTE, GCC, also spelled Marcello Caetano , was a Portuguese politician and scholar, who was the last prime minister of the Estado Novo regime, from 1968 until his overthrow in the Carnation Revolution of 1974....
, was due to visit Britain to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance
Anglo-Portuguese Alliance
The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, ratified at the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, between England and Portugal is claimed to be the oldest alliance in the world which is still in force — with the earliest treaty dating back to the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373.This alliance, which goes back to the...
.
Efforts to locate 'Wiriyamu' or any massacre of 400 have so far proved fruitless.
Portugal's growing isolation following Hastings's claims has often been cited as a factor that helped to bring about the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
coup which deposed Marcelo Caetano, the leader of the Estado Novo regime that ruled the Portuguese Empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, in 1974.
Academic career
In 1976 Hastings was appointed to a lectureship in the theology faculty of the University of AberdeenUniversity of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
.
Marriage
In 1978 Hastings came to the decision that as a Catholic priest he was free to marry. In 1979 he married Ann Spence without seeking ecclesiastical permission or resigning from the priesthoodPriesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
. Although this was a clear breach of canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
he was never formally excommunicated, largely because since leaving Uganda he had not been subject to the oversight of any particular bishop. On occasion he continued to exercise his priestly ministry after his marriage.
From 1982 to 1985 Hastings was Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Zimbabwe
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe in Harare, is the oldest and largest university in Zimbabwe. It was founded through a special relationship with the University of London and it opened its doors to its first students in 1952. The university has ten faculties offering a wide variety of degree programmes...
. From 1985 to his retirement in 1996 he was Professor of Theology at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. From 1985 to 2000 he edited the Journal of Religion in Africa.
Late in life Hastings was active in raising awareness of the atrocities accompanying the breakup of Yugoslavia and the reassertion of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n control over Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. He was a founding member of the Alliance to Defend Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Hastings died in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
on 30 May 2001 and was buried at St Mary's Church, East Hendred
East Hendred
East Hendred is a village and civil parish in the English county of Oxfordshire, about east of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse and a similar distance west of Didcot. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Works
Hastings wrote over forty books, including:- Church and Mission in Modern Africa. London: Burns & Oates, 1967.
- A Concise Guide to the Documents of the Second Vatican Council. 2 vols. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1968- 69.
- Wiriyamu. London: Search Press, 1974. ISBN 0-85532-338-8
- In Filial Disobedience. Great Wakering: Mayhew-McCrimmon, 1978. ISBN 0-85597-249-1
- A History of African Christianity, 1950-1975. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979. ISBN 0-521-22212-5, ISBN 0-521-29397-9
- A History of English Christianity 1920-1985. London: Collins, 1986. ISBN 0-00-215211-8, ISBN 0-00-627041-7
- The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. ISBN 0-19-826399-6
- The Construction of Nationhood: Ethnicity, Religion and Nationalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-521-59391-3
External links
- Obituary in Douai Magazine 164 (2001)
- Ingrid Lawrie in the Oxford DNB (by subscription)