The Catholic Church has installed a new leader for England and Wales, who has said he is ‘most aware’ of the times the church has failed abuse victims.
Bishop Richard Moth was officially made 12th Archbishop of Westminster in front of a 2,000-strong congregation at Westminster Cathedral in central London on Saturday.
Shortly after midday, the cleric knelt at the church’s Great West Door, before blessing a line of people with holy water and processing down the nave.
He replaces the retiring Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who stepped down embroiled in scandal aged 80, having held the role since 2009.
The incumbent had been criticised in a report into sexual abuse within the Church, which said he ‘seemingly put the reputation of the church’ above his duty to victims.
Archbishop Moth, by contrast, has asserted, upon his accession, his keen awareness of the institution’s failings.
He said in a homily at his installation ceremony: ‘This work of evangelisation is vital, but it is fragile and adversely impacted by our failures in love, power and self-control.
‘Here I am most aware of every occasion on which members of the Church, or the Church as a whole, have failed, most especially when the vulnerable have been abused.
Bishop Richard Moth (pictured at the installation Mass) was officially made 12th Archbishop of Westminster in front of a 2,000-strong congregation at Westminster Cathedral in central London on Saturday
Shortly after midday, the cleric (pictured at the installation Mass) knelt at the church’s Great West Door, before blessing a line of people with holy water and processing down the nave
He replaces the retiring Cardinal Vincent Nichols (left, with Archbishop Moth, centre, when his successor’s appointment was announced in December), who stepped down embroiled in scandal aged 80, having held the role since 2009
‘Such failure calls for listening to and learning from those who have suffered so grievously and a continuing commitment to ensuring that our communities are places where all are safe in their encounter with Christ and with one another.’
Before the Vatican announced his appointment in December, Archbishop Moth had been Bishop of Arundel and Brighton for ten years.
He also previously served as Catholic Bishop of the Forces from 2009 until 2015.
As the Archbishop of Westminster, he becomes president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, heading up all the nations’ Catholic clergy.
This will see him become the Catholic Church’s spokesman and figurehead, and the leader of the four million faithful who follow the denomination across the UK.
He also said, in his installation homily: ‘We need not fear the great questions of our time: the need for all peoples to live in peace; the value and dignity of every person; the right to life at every stage; the protection of the vulnerable; the plight of the refugee and the dispossessed; and the protection of our common home.’
When named in the role in December, Archbishop Moth had indicated he would speak out on societal issues including migration.
He also gave a nod to his controversial predecessor, Cardinal Nichols, who he said is now moving on to ‘slightly more restful pastures’.
His words came after a homily from the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, who praised his ‘deep concern for the dignity of every person’.
She was announced as the leader of the Church of England in October but awaits formal enthronement, in March.
Also acting as a representative of Churches Together in England, which encourages different traditions to work in unity, she said: ‘Your service as priest and bishop has been marked by a faithful pastoral care, a commitment to justice and a deep concern for the dignity of every person made in the image of God.’
Dame Sarah added: ‘In the months ahead, you and I will share a particular responsibility as presidents of the Churches Together in England, and I very much look forward to working with you to deepen our relationships and to strengthen our shared Christian witness.
‘In a world marked by division and uncertainty, the call to unity flows from the heart of the Gospel itself – our traditions are not weakened by friendship, they are deepened when we walk together in charity, honesty and truth.’
The new Archbishop of Westminster left the cathedral to applause at about 2.15pm.
The installation mass came after Friday’s service of solemn vespers attended by clergy and representatives of schools, parishes and Catholic organisations in the Westminster diocese.
It came after the Catholic Church found itself mired in controversy under Archbishop Moth’s predecessor.
Archbishop Moth (pictured, at his installation Mass) asserted, in his installation homily at Saturday’s service, his keen awareness of the Catholic Church’s failings when it comes to victims of abuse
He said: ‘I am most aware of every occasion on which members of the Church, or the Church as a whole, have failed, most especially when the vulnerable have been abused’. Pictured: Archbishop Moth at his installation Mass
‘Such failure calls for listening to and learning from those who have suffered so grievously and a continuing commitment to ensuring that our communities are places where all are safe in their encounter with Christ and with one another,’ he continued: Pictured: Archbishop Moth at his installation Mass
Before the Vatican announced his appointment in December, Archbishop Moth (pictured arriving at his installation Mass) had been Bishop of Arundel and Brighton for ten years
As the Archbishop of Westminster, he becomes president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, heading up all the nations’ Catholic clergy. Pictured: Clergy attend Archbishop Moth’s installation Mass
His homily came after one from the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally (pictured, at the Church of England’s General Synod earlier this week), who praised his ‘deep concern for the dignity of every person’
Upon his appointment in December, Archbishop Moth said he was ‘greatly moved by the trust Pope Leo has placed in me’. Pictured: Pope Leo at his weekly general audience at the Vatican in December
Liverpool-born Cardinal Nichols had offered his resignation as is usual when cardinals reach the age of 75, but said the late Pope Francis asked him to stay.
He came under fire around that time over a damning report, published in November 2020, on child sex abuse allegations in the Catholic Church.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found the cardinal ‘seemingly put the reputation of the church’ above his duty to sex assault victims.
It added he demonstrated ‘no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change’.
The findings were met with calls for Cardinal Nichols to resign.
But when asked at the time if he was, regardless, the right person to lead the Catholic Church in England and Wales, he said: ‘I do what I’m told.
‘The Holy Father put me here and he tells me to stay here – that’s enough for me.’
The report found the Church repeatedly failed to support victims and survivors but protected alleged perpetrators, including by moving them to different parishes.
Cardinal Nichols said in a statement December, when Archbishop Moth was named his successor, that he was ‘delighted’ by the news.
He said: ‘Archbishop-elect Richard will bring to our Diocese many gifts and considerable episcopal experience from his years of ministry in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, and before that as Bishop of the Forces.
‘I look forward very much to his Installation as our new Archbishop on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
‘It is, of course, St Valentine’s Day, as well as the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, co-Patrons of Europe.
‘I remember being present in Westminster Cathedral on September 29, 2009. for the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Richard as Bishop of the Forces.
‘So today I can say: “Welcome back, dear Bishop Richard. You are most welcome indeed”.’
Meanwhile, Archbishop Moth said at the time he was ‘greatly moved by the trust Pope Leo has placed in me’ in appointing him Archbishop of Westminster.
‘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 continued.
‘He has given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.
‘Serving the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton has given me the wonderful opportunity of sharing the Church’s mission with lay faithful and clergy, and I give thanks for the many blessings of these last ten years.
‘My first task will be to get to know the priests and people of Westminster and I look forward now to serving them.
‘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.’
It came after Cardinal Nichols took part in his first conclave in Rome last year to elect Pope Leo XIV in May, following the death of Pope Francis a month prior.
Cardinal Nichols, who said he had known the new pontiff for a few years, paid tribute to him as a gentle and calm person.
He said he would be a decisive figure going forward for the Church, as someone able to resolve difficulties ‘in a way that didn’t leave enemies behind him’.
