Leo XIV Appoints Archbishop of Westminster - He Betrayed Priest for Righteously Denying Communion
Born in Chingola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), he moved with his family to the United Kingdom at the age of two. He grew up in Kent and first felt called to the priesthood as a teenager.
He was ordained a priest on 3 July 1982 for the Archdiocese of Southwark and went on to study canon law, working in parish ministry and as private secretary to the Archbishop of Southwark. He later became vicar general of the archdiocese.
In July 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the Bishop of the Forces in the UK.
In March 2015, Pope Francis promoted him to Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
Safe Bureaucrat and Establishment Person
Last week, The Tablet gave a profile of the bishop in anticipation of his nomination. Bishop Moth is remembered as the former Bishop of Prisons and the Armed Forces, and is considered a safe choice to secure the 'establishment'.
He is "not a disruptor" and "not going to come in with some agenda."
Other descriptions by English journalists, including Damian Thompson, are: aloof, technocratic, uninspiring, unimaginative, and characterised by amiable inactivity. He is also said to "not do anything".
Siding with Pro-Death Politician Against Catholic Priests
In June 2025, parish priest Ian Vane publicly announced that he would deny Communion to the 'Catholic' MP Chris Coghlan after he voted in favour of an assisted suicide bill.
In a statement released on 27 June, the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton said: 'The recent vote on the assisted dying bill was a complex one for all involved, and while many in our society are deeply saddened by the result, we recognise the difficult task faced by MPs in representing their constituents.'
Coghlan publicly stated that Bishop Moth had told him that it was not the Church's position to deny Holy Communion over this issue.
Picture: Charles Moth, © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsNdnrcvmavf