Tom Burns (bishop)

Thomas Matthew Burns SM BA BD (called Tom; born 3 June 1944) is a British Roman Catholic Bishop. On 16 October 2008 he was appointed as Bishop of Menevia by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming Bishop on 1 December 2008 when he took possession of his new See, on which day he ceased to be Bishop of the Forces.

Biography
Tom Burns was born in Belfast, but his family later moved to Lancashire. After studying at St. Mary's College, Blackburn, a sixth form in an Exeter school, and a monastery in Paignton, Burns was ordained to the priesthood on 16 December 1971, for the Society of Mary.

On 24 May 2002, he was appointed to head the military ordinariate of Great Britain, the Bishopric of the Forces. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 18 June from Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, with Bishop Francis Walmsley and Archbishop Patrick Altham Kelly serving as co-consecrators.

Burns has been a vociferous critic of the UK Ministry of Defence, complaining that troops in Iraq were "frustrated by restrictions, checks and delays that are placed on them but not on their opponents", and that their "activities are often jeopardised by poor equipment, outmoded vehicles and inadequate apparel".

He also voiced criticism against Harriet Harman MP's Equality Bill, which helped lead to its withdrawal, Bishop Burns felt that it would force the Catholic Church to govern itself as an industry or business, employing priests as employees, when in fact, the Church looks upon its priests as "Brothers of Christ".