New Archbishop for Southwark

Archbishop Peter Smith

Pope Benedict XVI has today announced that Archbishop Peter Smith, of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, has been appointed as the next Archbishop of Southwark, succeeding Archbishop Kevin McDonald who resigned in December 2009 due to poor health.
 
Bishop John Hine, the Diocesan Administrator said: “I am delighted that the Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff to be our new Archbishop.

"Although very sad to be leaving the priests and people of his present Archdiocese, Archbishop Peter is also delighted to be coming ‘back home’ to his diocese of origin and very much looks forward to meeting the people and clergy of the diocese. He is well known to many of the clergy of the diocese from his time as Rector of St John’s Seminary, and to others, as a fellow priest of the Southwark diocese.

"I have assured him that the announcement of his appointment here will bring great joy to the whole diocese. We continue to keep Archbishop Kevin in our prayers as he recovers well from his surgery but faces an operation on his other hip in a couple of months’ time.”
 
Archbishop Peter’s installation as Archbishop of Southwark will be on Thursday, 10 June.

 
The Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark consists of all the London Borough’s south of the Thames, the County of Kent and the Unitary authority of Medway.