The former Bishop of Liverpool has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year honours list.
James Jones will receive a KBE for his service to the region as well as chairing the Hillsborough Independent Panel between 2009 and 2012.
He headed the panel which fully exonerated Liverpool fans of cause in the 1989 tragedy which cost the lives of 96 people inside Sheffield Wednesday’s ground.
In addition to being the city’s Bishop for over 15 years, the 68-year-old also fulfilled the role at HM Prisons until his 2013 retirement from active service.
Rt Revd Paul Bayes, the current Bishop of Liverpool, has paid tribute to Jones’ work in both the archdiocese and in the vindication of Hillsborough victims.
He said: “In the Diocese of Liverpool, we are very proud indeed of our previous Bishop, and the service he gave to our city and region as chair of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
“This richly deserved honour is a recognition of the meticulous and diligent way in which Bishop James and his colleagues pursued the quest for truth and justice.
“We continue to keep the Hillsborough bereaved, the survivors, and all who struggle for justice in our prayers.
“And we remember the 96; we will never forget them.”
News of Revd Jones’ knighthood emerges just 24 hours after a prominent Hillsborough campaigner turned down the offer of an OBE.
Professor Phil Scraton, who sat on the same panel as Jones, rejected the accolade due to successive governments’ failure to investigate the tragedy.