Pope appoints Moth as temporary admin of Northampton

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster to serve as the temporary apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Northampton in central England. The appointment on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, follows criminal charges filed against the diocese’s bishop, David Oakley, related to the alleged assault of a minor.

Bishop Oakley, 70, faces two counts of assault involving a female under the age of 16. The charges, confirmed by police last week, stem from an investigation into historical allegations dating back to between February 2000 and February 2001. Oakley was arrested by Staffordshire Police in September 2025 and released on conditional bail. He had announced an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons in October 2025, at which time the diocese stated that vicar general Canon Michael Harrison would provisionally handle governance. Oakley retains the title of Bishop of Northampton and is scheduled for an initial court hearing on August 14.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales explained that Archbishop Moth’s appointment is a temporary role to ensure the pastoral governance of the diocese continues when a bishop cannot...