By Christopher Lamb, CNN
(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Bishop Richard Moth, who regularly speaks out on social concerns such as prisons, as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior Catholic Cleric in England and Wales.
The appointment of Bishop Moth, 67, of Arundel and Brighton in southern England, is Pope Leo’s second appointment to a senior church position this week, coming a day after his nomination of pro-migrant Bishop Ronald Hicks as Archbishop of New York.
Bishop Moth, like his counterpart in New York, is known as a figure able to mediate between different viewpoints inside the church, while showing a commitment to Catholic social teachings, in his case in the areas of prisons and mental health.
Moth is the chair of the Department for Social Justice for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and regularly speaks out on social issues including the cost-of-living crisis and two-child benefit cap. He welcomed the scrapping of the cap saying that “large families are a blessing” and that it had pushed many families into poverty.
As Archbishop of Westminster, Moth will have a prominent role on the national stage in England and Wales through engaging with the UK government and playing a leading role in the bishops’ conference of England and Wales.
Moth faces a complex political situation with the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform party, which is campaigning on an anti-migrant platform while also linking itself to Christian values and protection of “Judaeo-Christian culture.” And his appointment also comes after Tommy Robison, a far-activist, organized a Christmas carol event to “put the Christ back into Christmas.”
Pope Leo, however, recently warned against dragging the “language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence” while telling European politicians that protecting the continent’s Judeo-Christian roots “is not simply to safeguard the rights of its Christian communities” or preserving “particular social customs or traditions.”
Moth has been leader of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in the south of England since 2015, and before that was the bishop to the armed forces. He is a trained church lawyer, former army chaplain who enjoys horse riding and says he has a “lifelong love of Land Rovers.”
The new archbishop is an associate member [oblate] of Pluscarden Abbey, a Benedictine community in Scotland, and is known as an able administrator who took decisions to re-organize the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
“He combines prayerfulness with a down-to-earth practical style,” Rev. Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine Abbot who leads the English Benedictines, told CNN.
“He has shown himself ready to grasp nettles and enable priests and people to find new ways of being the church in his diocese. His changes have been welcomed because everyone knows where they stand as they look to the future.”
The new archbishop succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who last month turned 80 and is past retirement age. He has been in post since 2009 and voted in the conclave to elect Pope Leo.
During his tenure, Nichols faced criticism for his handling of clerical sexual abuse by an independent state inquiry, although he is also known for his work tackling human trafficking and supporting Catholic education. His retirement marks the end of