Archbishop of Westminster welcomes Pope Leo XIV’s appointment at St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster has welcomed the appointment of Pope Leo XIV as a Papal Confrater of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, calling it a symbol of hope.
Archbishop Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has welcomed the news that Pope Leo XIV has been named a Papal Confrater of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. He described the appointment as a symbol of hope.
The appointment was made with the approval of King Charles III, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The honour creates a formal fraternal link between the Pope and the chapel, which serves as the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter and is one of the most significant royal places of worship in the United Kingdom.
The announcement carries weight in the context of relations between the Holy See and the Church of England, the established church in England. St George’s Chapel has long been associated with the Anglican tradition, and a papal confraternity underlines a shared commitment to Christian witness between churches that have been separated since the sixteenth century.
Archbishop Moth’s reaction framed the news as a source of hope for Christian unity and for the wider relationship between Catholics and Anglicans in Britain. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has presented the appointment as an encouraging gesture at a time when ecumenical dialogue remains a priority for both communities.
Pope Leo XIV, who leads the Catholic Church, is thus formally linked to a chapel that has been at the centre of royal and national religious life for centuries. The confraternity is largely symbolic, but it signals continued engagement between the Vatican and the British religious establishment.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, which Archbishop Moth presides over, is the body through which the Catholic bishops of England and Wales coordinate their common work. The welcome issued by its president therefore speaks on behalf of the bishops collectively rather than for Westminster alone, reflecting how the appointment is being received across the Catholic community in the two nations.
The source material does not provide further details on the date of the announcement, the ceremony or any formal investiture, nor on the specific duties that a Papal Confrater is expected to fulfil. What is confirmed is the approval given by the King, the welcome from the Archbishop and the framing of the appointment as a sign of hope.
Source: cbcew.org.uk
3
