Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Richard Moth as the new Bishop of Arundel & Brighton

The Pope has named Bishop Richard Moth as the new Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

The current Bishop of the Forces will succeed Bishop Kieran Conry, who announced his resignation last September after admitting he had been unfaithful to his promises as a priest.

Bishop Moth will become the fifth bishop of the southern English diocese, which was founded in 1965.

Bishop Richard Moth said: “It is a great privilege to have been appointed by Pope Francis as the new Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and I am very conscious of the trust that has been placed in me.

“In these last 50 years since the foundation of the diocese, so much has been done to build up the Church and in the proclamation of the Gospel and, with God’s help, I look to guide and serve the diocese to that same end.“

Bishop Moth will be installed at Arundel Cathedral on Thursday May 28, the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese, which was originally part of the larger Archdiocese of Southwark.

He will then preside at the Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving for the diocese at the Amex Stadium in Brighton on Sunday July 5.

Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark, who served as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese after Bishop Conry’s resignation, said: “I was so pleased when I heard the news that he had accepted the appointment from the Holy Father.

“I have known Bishop Richard for many years, firstly when I taught him as a student at St John’s Seminary, then as a fellow priest of the archdiocese and most recently as a brother bishop.

“I know that he will work tirelessly to serve all the people of the diocese, and I have no doubt that he will prove to be a true pastor to the clergy, religious and people of the diocese.”

The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton comprises the counties of West and East Sussex, Surrey outside of the Greater London Borough, and the City of Brighton and Hove. It is one of 22 Catholic Dioceses in England and Wales.