He was born in Zambia, in Chingola, on 8 July 1958, and grew up in Kent Richard Moth, the new Archbishop of Westminster, spiritual guide of almost five million English Catholics.
Pope Leo chose him after accepting the resignation of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Primate of England and Wales, 2009 to present.
During a press conference with British journalists the new archbishop said he felt his vocation at just nine years old, while he was an altar boy. «Looking at the priest I helped, I wondered how I would have felt in his place and that interest never abandoned me, even during high school, which I did in a non-Catholic, very secularized and secular school. I therefore asked to enter the seminary of Saint John, in Wornesh, and was then ordained in the Archdiocese of Southwark on 3 June 1982».
Responsibilities and the public role
It is certainly a very demanding assignment, that of the new Archbishop Moth, because Catholicism, in Great Britain, is the second Christian denomination after the Church of England and the new Primate will also be responsible for diocese of Westminster, the largest in the English world, with almost half a million faithful, although the smallest geographically with only 3634 square kilometers. The new archbishop will also lead, as president, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and will play an important role of moral leadership in the United Kingdom, as well as holding positions in various ecumenical bodies.
No longer composed mainly of poor Irish migrants, as at the beginning, in the mid-nineteenth century, when Catholics regained their civil rights in the United Kingdom, the Catholic Church today has an important public role and the country often looks to it as a point of reference.
Personal life and spiritual dimension
An only child, the new archbishop studied canon law at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada, and has held various roles as Parish Priest, Bishop of the Armed Forces, Chaplain to the Army Medical Corps in Kennington, Vicar General of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Southwark and Bishop of Arundel and Brighton from 2015 to the present. AND he was also president of the commission that guides the Catholic University of Saint Mary, in Twickenham, and president of the social justice department of the English Bishops’ Conference.
Passionate about horse riding and Land Rovers, the new archbishop also cultivates a great love for military history and often goes walking to relax. During the press conference the new archbishop appeared relaxed and smiling and very enthusiastic about his new role, but also aware of the important challenge that awaits him. «I realize», he said, «that the role of Archbishop of Westminster here, in central London, is very demanding and that I find myself in a very different situation from that in which I was as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, in the middle of the English countryside, in the south of England. The profile and size of the charge are very different and it is a new challenge for me. I can’t wait to get started even if, since I received the news of my nomination, it doesn’t seem true that Pope Leo chose me. Of course there is some fear. There’s no doubt about it. It seems very normal to me and I would be worried if it were otherwise. I find the strength to face my new assignment in the prayer and trust that God and Pope Leo have decided to entrust to me and I will dedicate myself to my new assignment completely.”
Speaking about its spiritual and prayer dimension the The new English Primate said that, in the last few hours, his mobile phone has not stopped ringing and, nevertheless, he found time to pray, a very important space for him. «I try to do my best to cultivate my relationship with God and it helps me to go to monasteries», said the new archbishop of Westminster, «I pray that I can continue the work that the Catholic Church has always done in this country. I think we are at an important time in the life of the English Catholic Church because we are seeing a new interest in the Gospel for a number of reasons. Following the Gospel, for me, is a wonderful adventure. For example, I never thought I could be chosen as Archbishop of Westminster and yet God wanted me. Following Christ is wonderful and I look forward to doing it together with all the priests of the Diocese of Westminster.”
