The Most Reverend Richard Moth was today officially installed as the Twelfth Archbishop of Westminster during a formal Mass of Installation held at Westminster Cathedral at 12:00 noon on Saturday, 14th February 2026.
‘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, the protection of our common home, all of these call for the light of the Gospel to be shone upon them.’
Richard Moth was formally installed as Archbishop of Westminster during a Mass at Westminster Cathedral today, succeeding Cardinal Vincent Nichols as the designated leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Archbishop-elect Richard Moth’s homily at Vespers ahead of his Installation
On the eve of his Installation as the twelfth Archbishop of Westminster, Archbishop-elect Richard Moth gave this homily at Solemn Pontifical Vespers in Westminster Cathedral.
On the 26th of March 1976, I had the honour of being present in this esteemed Cathedral Church, accompanied by a former schoolmate who is also in attendance today, to witness the Episcopal Ordination of the late Cardinal Basil Hume.
During that occasion, we heard the passage from St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, which states: “Fan into flame the gift of God… for God has given us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.
During his sermon, Archbishop Moth stressed that it is our duty to engage with modern society by openly communicating the message of the Gospel of peace. He underscored the importance of addressing contemporary challenges with clarity and compassion, ensuring that our faith principles guide and inform these vital conversations.
“Let us ensure that the light of the gospel shines brightly in our parish communities, in our homes and our schools,” he urged. “At every opportunity, let us shed the light of the gospel on the world of our day, in our universities, our places of work.”
Archbishop Moth said, “God’s call to us is not a call to power as so often exercised in the world, to achieve dominion over others. Rather it is characterised by self-control, not a self-control ‘generated’ as it were from within ourselves, but a self-control guided, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
“This service is our mission as Christ’s Church. St Paul reminds us that we receive the gifts that come to us through the Holy Spirit, often experienced in gentleness and in the silence of prayer. These gifts are experienced in their fullness, fanned into flame, through our living out of the mission to which we are called.”
He also acknowledged the Church’s failures: “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.
“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.
“The reality is that the power of the Church is the power of service. It is the power of service in the way that Jesus serves, emptying of self for the salvation of all.”
The ceremony was carried out according to the ancient Catholic rite used for the reception and installation of Archbishops of Canterbury before the Reformation, which has been used in Westminster since the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in 1850.
The service began with the congregation of around 2,000 people singing lauds and terce. After a procession including clergy, bishops, and ecumenical guests, Archbishop Moth entered the Cathedral to the sound of the bell and a fanfare.
The provost prayed as Archbishop Moth knelt at the high altar. The papal nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, presented Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic letter appointing Moth Archbishop of Westminster to the chancellor of the diocese, Canon Jeremy Trood, who read it out to the congregation.
Archbishop Moth accepted it and said, “I accept the pastoral care of the people of God in the Archdiocese of Westminster. I resolve to serve faithfully the Church in this Archdiocese.”
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally then welcomed him as Archbishop of Westminster on behalf of the presidents of Churches Together in England.
She said: “We give thanks for your calling and look ahead to our shared life and witness. We thank God for your yes to this ministry, and for your willingness to receive the office entrusted to you as Archbishop of Westminster.
“Your service as priest and bishop has been marked by faithful pastoral care, a commitment to justice, and a deep concern for the dignity of every person made in the image of God. London has long been served by a close and constructive relationship between our Churches.
“As you take up this new responsibility, you do so building on the faithful ministry of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, for which we give thanks, and on strong foundations of trust and cooperation already in place.”
Archbishop Moth greeted the other ecumenical and diocesan representatives and then celebrated pontifical Mass, with the Creed, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei in Latin plainsong. The service ended with St John Henry Newman’s hymn, “Praise to the Holiest”.
Archbishop Moth was born in Chingola, Zambia, in 1958, and was brought up in Kent. He was ordained Priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark on 3 June 1982.
In 2001 he was appointed Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese. He was ordained Bishop of the Forces in 2009 in Westminster Cathedral and appointed Bishop of Arundel and Brighton in 2015.