Archbishop-elect of Westminster Richard Moth poses in front of a portrait of Pope Leo XIV after a press conference in the Throne Room of Archbishop’s House in London on December 19, 2025. Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Richard Moth as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most prominent Catholic figure in England and Wales, the church announced on Friday. The pope named a little-known pro-migrant bishop, Ronald Hicks, from his native Chicago, to replace Dolan. “We do speak about a quiet revival,” he noted of reports that the number of Catholics in the UK is rising. “I would say I’m quietly cautious.”Asked about the bitter debate about immigration currently raging in the UK, Moth struck a conciliatory tone, noting he would “continue to remind society that everybody, wherever they come from, has something that they contribute”.

Source: Punch December 19, 2025 22:04 UTC