Pope Leo XIV has appointed The Right Reverend Richard Moth as Archbishop of Westminster. Bishop Richard has been the chair of CPT since 2021 and staff and trustees expressed their delight at this news.
Archbishop-elect Moth will become the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, succeeding Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who has served in the role since 2009. Archbishop-elect Moth will be Installed at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, 14 February 2026.
Dr Philomena Cullen, Trust manager said:
"We are all so pleased with the Pope's decision and know firsthand Bishop Richard's commitment to Catholic social teaching in action. We wish him every blessing in his new and demanding ministry of leading the Catholic Church in England and Wales and know that he will do so with the same integrity, kindness and steadfast commitment to the marginalised and vulnerable that we have seen in his leadership of the CPT."
On hearing of his appointment, Archbishop-elect Moth said:
"I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the Diocese of Westminster. I look forward to continuing the great adventure that is the life of the Church and witness to the Gospel."
Biography
Bishop Richard was born in Chingola, Zambia, in 1958. He was brought up in Kent and, after leaving The Judd School, Tonbridge, began formation for the Priesthood at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh. He was ordained Priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark on 3 June 1982.
He served as assistant priest at St Bede’s, Clapham Park, before pursing studies in Canon Law at St Paul University, Ottawa. In 1987, he was appointed assistant priest at St Saviour’s Lewisham, during which time he also served as a Territorial Army Chaplain with 217 General Hospital RAMC(V).
He served as Private Secretary to Archbishop Michael Bowen from 1992 until 2001, during which time he was also President of the Interdiocesan Tribunal of Second Instance of Southwark and Vocations Director. In 2001 he was appointed Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese.
He was ordained Bishop of the Forces on 29 September 2009 in Westminster Cathedral and served in this capacity until his appointment as Bishop of Arundel & Brighton on 21 March 2015.
He is Chair of Governors at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Chair of the Department for Social Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Liaison Bishop for Prisons. He serves on the Standing Committee of the Bishops’ Conference. He chairs The Plater Trust, dedicated to the support of projects across England and Wales that put into practice the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. He is also a member of the Mixed Commission of the Bishops’ Conference – a body that brings together bishops and those living Religious Life.
Bishop Richard has been an Oblate of Pluscarden Abbey for over 40 years and is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, travelling many times to the Holy Land. In 2020 he was appointed Prior of the Southern Section of the Lieutenancy of England and Wales.
He is a Liveryman and Extra Court Member of the Skinners’ Company and a Freeman the City of London, serving the Company as Chair of its History Committee.
He enjoys horse riding and walking.
Further information can be found on the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton’s website: www.abdiocese.org.uk/diocese/news
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