Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Richard Moth as Archbishop of Westminster, it was announced December 19.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Southwark on July 3, 1982, Archbishop-elect Moth has served as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton since 2015.
Prior to that, he was the Catholic Bishop of the Forces from 2009 to 2015.
Archbishop-elect Moth, 67, will become the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, succeeding Cardinal Vincent Nichols, 80, who has served in the role since 2009.
"My first task will be to get to know the priests and people of Westminster and I look forward, now, to serving them," Archbishop-elect 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."
The archbishop-elect will be installed on February 14.
The archdiocese provided the following biography:
Bishop Richard Moth 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 and 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.
