Malone was born in
Liverpool, educated at
St Francis Xavier's College, and
ordained to the
priesthood on 18 September 1955, in
Old Swan. On 13 May 1989, he was appointed
Titular Bishop of Abora and Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool. He received his
episcopal consecration on the following 3 July from
Archbishop Derek Worlock, with Bishops Kevin O'Connor and
John Rawsthorne serving as
co-consecrators. In 2003 Malone wrote a contribution for ''Healing Priesthood: Women's Voices Worldwide'', in which he argued that women should be allowed to hear confessions and absolve penitents, on the grounds that some Catholics might prefer to confess their sins to a woman. The
Vatican officially announced that on 26 October 2006, Malone was to retire from his post in Liverpool. As with all bishops, he was required to submit his letter of retirement to
Pope Benedict XVI upon reaching age 75. He continued to be a
Vicar General, a member of the Archbishop's council, and a
trustee of the Archdiocese. Moreover, although he no longer carried out formal
parish visitations, Malone continued to celebrate the
Sacrament of Confirmation. Malone died on 18 May 2020, aged 88, at the
Royal Liverpool Hospital, after testing positive for
COVID-19 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in England. ==References==