Archbishop-elect Moth, 67, succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, 80, who has been archbishop of the primatial diocese since 2009. Pope Francis asked Cardinal Nichols to remain in that role after he submitted his letter of resignation on reaching the age of 75. The cardinal participated in the conclave that elected Pope Leo, who today accepted his resignation.

“I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the Diocese of Westminster,” Bishop Moth said today at a press conference in the archbishop’s house. “As I prepare to move to the diocese, I am so grateful for the support being given to me by Cardinal Vincent Nichols at this time. He has given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.”

After expressing gratitude for “the many blessings” he received over the last 10 years as he shared “the church’s mission” with the clergy and lay faithful of the diocese of Arundel and Brighton, the archbishop-elect said his first task now is “to get to know the priests and people of Westminster.” 

“I look forward to continuing the great adventure that is the life of the church and witness to the Gospel,” he said. 

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, for his part, was “delighted” at Archbishop-elect Moth’s appointment and said he comes with “many gifts and considerable episcopal experience.” The cardinal recalled that he was present in Westminster Cathedral when Moth was ordained bishop and now is happy to say: “Welcome back, dear Bishop Richard. You are most welcome indeed.” 

The end of an era

Cardinal Nichols has held increasingly important leadership positions in the Catholic Church of England and Wales, starting as general secretary of the bishops’ conference (1984-93). Pope John Paul II named him an auxiliary bishop of Westminster in 1991 and archbishop of Birmingham in 2000. Benedict XVI appointed him the 11th archbishop of Westminster in 2009, and subsequently he was elected president of the bishops’ conference, a post he still holds. He welcomed the German pope to England in 2010. Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2014 and appointed him to several Vatican offices, including the dicastery involved in selecting candidates to be bishops.

During his 41 years in key positions, Cardinal Nichols played an important role in the ecumenical field and in interfaith relations. He gave strong backing to Catholic education and worked to combat human trafficking, but came under heavy criticism from the independent Royal Commission in 2020 for his handling of clerical sexual abuse.

As leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, he also took part in some of the highest events in the realm. He took part in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and participated in the crowning of King Charles III in May 2023, the first time a Catholic prelate attended a coronation since the Protestant Reformation. He participated in another historic event last October when, for the first time in 500 years, a pope and a king of England prayed together in the Sistine Chapel. With Pope Leo’s acceptance of Cardinal Nichols’s resignation today, an important era draws to a close for the Archdiocese of Westminster, which celebrated its 175th anniversary in September, and for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. A new era now opens with a different kind of leader, just as happened yesterday for the Catholic Church in the United States with the appointment of Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the leader of the Archdiocese of New York.

Who is Bishop Moth?

Bishop Moth was born in Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia) on July 8, 1958, but immigrated to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of 2. An only child named Charles Phillip Richard Moth, he was brought up in Kent. He was an altar server at his local church and felt the call to the priesthood at the age of 11 or 12. He entered St. John’s Seminary, Wonersh, when he was 18.

Ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark in 1982, just before his 24th birthday, he went on to serve in parish ministry for the next three years and as a judge in the Southwark metropolitan marriage tribunal.

He was then sent to Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada, where he gained a licentiate and a master’s degree in canon law. On returning to England in 1987, he again worked in parish ministry and also served as a chaplain for the Army Reserve.

Starting in 1992, he held various positions in the Archdiocese of Southwark until Benedict XVI appointed him as bishop of the British armed forces in July 2009. In that role, he traveled widely with the British forces, including to Afghanistan during the armed conflict there. He came to greatly esteem the service given by the men and women in the armed forces and felt “privileged,” he said in a TV interview, to be able “to accompany them” through his ministry.

On March 21, 2015, Pope Francis appointed Richard Moth the fifth bishop of Arundel and Brighton, a post he has held until today. 

As bishop of Arundel and Brighton, he emphasized three elements that are to be at the center of the life of this diocese with about 180,000 Catholics and 180 priests serving in 96 parishes: “prayer, formation and mission.”

In addition to his governance and ministry in the diocese, he also served as the chair of the Department for Social Justice for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

In this role, he was tasked with being the “liaison bishop for prisons” and, the diocesan website recalls, he has spoken out on several issues affecting prisoners and their families including the dangers of overcrowding in prisons, the impact of Covid-19 and the importance of creating a criminal justice system “that works and offers a genuinely rehabilitative environment…[bringing] humanity and hope to our prison estate.”

At the November plenary assembly of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, he reflected on “the church’s role in supporting those involved in the criminal justice system” and, later in an interview, spoke about “all the people who, in different ways, are impacted by the criminal justice system.” In addition to the victims of crime and those who have committed crimes, he recalled with particular emphasis, “the hidden victims: the children of people in prison spring to mind, because very often they struggle. They may be bullied at school. They may be trying to live their lives with excuses to why mum or dad aren’t around.” 

Last week, he issued a pastoral letter for the Jubilee of Prisoners.

The archbishop-elect is also a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and has traveled to the Holy Land many times. 

“He’s prayerful, very grounded in monasticism and very close to the Benedictine monks at Pluscarden Abbey and also the Carthusians at [St. Hugh’s Charterhouse] Parkminster,” a lay person who has worked with him and knows him well but preferred to remain anonymous, told America. Bishop Moth has been an Oblate of Pluscarden Abbey for over 40 years.

The archbishop-elect “loves horses and rides horses,” he added. He also enjoys listening to music and walking, and has an old Land Rover that he likes to drive when he can find the time.

The source described him as a Francis-style bishop—“pastoral, kind, sincere, a holy man, not a show pony,” and “with a good sense of humor.”

“Personality-wise, he is more like Pope Leo,” the source said. He is “very organized in his style. Not impulsive or emotional, very reasoned. I’d say a solid centrist, steady and highly experienced appointment.”