The Vatican has announced that Richard Moth will be the new Archbishop of Westminster, making him the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
He succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who has held the position since 2009 and resigned at the age of 80.
For the past 10 years, Richard Moth has been Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, and previously served as Bishop of the Armed Forces.
As Archbishop of Westminster, he will become president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and lead some six million Catholics.
Cardinal Nichols reached retirement age when he was 75, but Pope Francis asked him to remain in his position. In May he participated in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
The search for a replacement for Cardinal Nichols was led by the apostolic nuncio, or papal ambassador to the United Kingdom, who presented a list of potential candidates to Pope Leo.
Earlier this week, Archbishop Moth issued a joint statement calling for empathy for “those who come to this country seeking safety,” reminding Catholics that Jesus’ family fled to Egypt as refugees.
He has been one of the bishops who has led the Church’s response to social justice issues in the UK, including praising the removal of the two-child benefit limit.
Archbishop Moth will face the challenge of declining numbers of people attending churches nationally, although there is growth in some churches with Catholic immigrants.
In response to the increasing use of Christian symbols, for example in demonstrations organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, Bishop Moth has expressed concern.
Last weekend, Robinson held an event in London saying he wanted to “reclaim” the country’s Christian heritage and identity.
“We are concerned about the tensions that are growing in society and the desire of some groups to sow seeds of division within our communities. This does not reflect the spirit or message of Christmas,” Bishop Moth said in a statement to the Archbishop of Birmingham.
The Catholic Church has been heavily involved in providing assistance to those who have suffered from the cost of living crisis.
As Archbishop, Richard Moth will also lead the Church’s ongoing challenge to address safeguarding issues.
In 2020, a wide-ranging investigation into child sexual abuse found that between 1970 and 2015 the Catholic Church in England and Wales received more than 3,000 reports of child sexual abuse against more than 900 people associated with the Church.
Indeed, the leadership of Archbishop Moth’s predecessor, Cardinal Nichols, was criticized in the inquiry report, which said he cared more about the impact of the abuse on the reputation of the Church than on the victims.
At the time, Cardinal Nichols apologized and said he accepted the report, adding: “That so many have suffered is a terrible shame that I must live with and learn from.”
Cardinal Nichols is retiring after leading the Church in England and Wales for 16 years, during which he faced enormous changes.
He is the son of two teachers and was born in Crosby. The lifelong Liverpool FC fan took on his first role as a priest at Wigan.
In 2010, he received Pope Benedict XVI in England on an official visit.
