New Bishop of Plymouth is installed

Nicholas Hudson previously said he was "deeply grateful to Pope Leo XIV" for his appointment

The Right Reverend Nicholas Hudson has been installed as the Bishop of Plymouth, overseeing a diocese that covers Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

Bishop Hudson was appointed in the Devon city at the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Boniface, on the patronal feast day of St Cuthbert Mayne, on Saturday.

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.

Bishop Hudson previously 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 look forward greatly to meeting all who belong to the diocese."

Senior Catholic clergy attended the Installation Mass, including His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Most Reverend John Wilson, Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark.

As the Bishop of Plymouth, Bishop Hudson will lead a diocese that serves a Catholic population of approximately 11,293 across 57 parishes and 37 schools throughout the three counties.

The Bull of Appointment from Pope Leo XIV said the church was confident in his appointment.

Pope Leo said: "We thought of you, having carefully considered your pastoral achievements in the duties you have undertaken in the Archdiocese of Westminster, together with your spiritual and human gifts and your expertise in administration, which make you suitable for advancement to this greater office."