Richard Moth to lead Roman Catholic church in England, Wales
Pope Leo XIV waves from the popemobile as he arrives for the weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on May 21. He appointed Bishop Richard Moss as the new leader of the Roman Catholic church in England on Friday. Photo by Angelo Carconi/EFE
Dec. 19 (UPI) — Pope Leo XIV on Friday named Bishop Richard Moth as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales with about 6 million Catholics.
Moth, 67, will replace Cardinal Vincent Gerard Nichols as archbishop of Westminster, the Holy See Office said. His formal appointment will be on Feb. 14, the Guardian reported.
“I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the diocese of Westminster,” said Moth, who was bishop of Arundel and Brighton since 2015.
Earlier this year, Nichols, 80, offered to resign when he turned 75 but was asked by the late Pope Francis to remain. He was a member of the conclave that named a new pontiff in May.
Moth said Nichols has “given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.”
Nichols said he was delighted about his successor.
“I remember being present in Westminster Cathedral on 29 September 2009 for the episcopal ordination of Bishop Richard as bishop of the forces,” Nichols said. “So today I can say: ‘Welcome back, dear Bishop Richard. You are most welcome indeed. ‘”
Moth served the territory in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey, which is not part of Westminster. His new diocese includes most of London north of the Thames and the county of Hertfordshire.
Moth said he is looking forward to his new role.
“My first task will be to get to know the priests and people of Westminster and I look forward now to serving them,” Moth said. “With them, and building on the firm foundations that have been laid by so many down the years, I look forward to continuing the great adventure that is the life of the church and witness to the gospel.”
Moth was born in southern Africa’s Zambia in 1958, grew up in Kent in southeastEngland, completed his primary and secondary studies in Catholic schools in Kent and became an ordained priest in 1982.
Before becoming bishop of Arundel and Brighton, Moth was bishop of the military forces for six years. He also leads governors at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, and is a member of the liaison bishop for prisons.
Moth has been an oblate of Pluscarden Abbey, a community of Catholic Benedictine monks in Scotland, for more than 40 years. He also is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
He has been involved in numerous issues.
Moth asked clergy and parishioners to write to their ministers to express their concerns about assisted dying.
He also called for empathy for “those who come to this country for their safety,” noting Jesus’ family fled to Egypt as refugees.
And he worked on social justice issues in Britain.
There are 726 active archbishops worldwide for 1.4 billion Catholics.
On Thursday, the pope named Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, 58, of Joliet, Ill., as New York’s new archbishop, ending the 16-year tenure of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 75.
