The Pope appoints new Bishop of Plymouth

'I COME WITH A DESIRE TO LISTEN AND TO LEARN'

- By HERALD REPORTER

A NEW Catholic bishop for Plymouth and the Westcountry has been appointed by the Pope. Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Right Reverend Nicholas Hudson as the new Bishop of Plymouth.

Ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark in 1986, Bishop Hudson has been an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of St Germans in Cornwall since 2014.

On hearing of his appointment, Bishop Hudson, Bishop-elect of Plymouth said: “I am deeply grateful to Pope Leo XIV for appointing me; and I do not take lightly the trust he has placed in me. I am aware how long the clergy, religious and laity of Plymouth Diocese have waited for a bishop.

“I come with a desire to listen and to learn. I hope we can apply all the strengths of synodality to discern together ways to deepen the diocese's outreach, mission and presence to the people of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. I look forward greatly to meeting all who belong to the diocese.”

The appointment follows a period of uncertainty for the Roman Catholic church in the Westcountry after encumbant Bishop of Plymouth Mark O'Toole became Archbishop of Cardiff in 2022.