His Holiness 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.
“I ask their prayers for me as I prepare to be their bishop – as I most surely pray for them.”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said:
“For the Diocese of Plymouth, the appointment of Bishop Nicholas Hudson to be their bishop is most welcome news. Bishop Hudson will serve the Diocese of Plymouth with great generosity and sensitivity, bringing to that leadership his wide experience of the Church both at home and abroad.
“I congratulate Bishop Nicholas on this appointment. He is eager to get started! Here in Westminster, we will miss him very much indeed. I thank him for the true service he has given to the people, the parishes, the priests and to his fellow bishops during his years with us. I assure him of our prayers, support and profound good wishes for his new and important ministry in Plymouth.”
Canon Paul Cummins, Diocesan Administrator, said:
“In this Jubilee Year of Hope, today’s appointment of Bishop Nicholas is an answer to our prayers. Bishop Nicholas is a priest of some 39 years’ experience in parish ministry, seminary and lay formation, diocesan, national and international leadership – this experience, alongside his pastoral gifts will serve him well in leading our diocese. We give thanks to the Holy Father for this appointment and look forward to Bishop Nicholas’s arrival with joy and with hope.”
Archbishop John Wilson, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark, shared his delight about the appointment:
“I am delighted to hear the joyful news that our Holy Father Pope Leo has appointed Bishop Nicholas Hudson as the next Bishop of Plymouth. Bishop Nicholas brings great experience as a former priest of the Archdiocese of Southwark, Rector of the Venerable English College in Rome, and Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster. His personal gifts and passion for sharing the Gospel of Christ will bring encouragement to the clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful of the Church in Plymouth. As Metropolitan, it is a special pleasure to welcome Bishop Nicholas to the Province. I thank Canon Paul Cummins for his outstanding service as Administrator and join with everyone in the Diocese in praying for Bishop Nicholas as he prepares to take up the honour of being their shepherd.”
The date for Bishop Hudson’s installation as Diocesan Bishop will be on the 29 November 2025 at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Boniface, Plymouth.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson was born on 14 February 1959 in Hammersmith, London. He had an English father, Richard Hudson, who taught English at Kings College School, Wimbledon, for some 37 years; and a French mother, Marie-Charlotte, née Valdelièvre, of Paris. He is the fourth of five boys. His father was from an army family, but considered himself a West Country boy having lived in Parkstone, Poole, then Crownhill, Plymouth, and Yelverton; and having been schooled at Clifton College before entering Exeter College, Oxford.
Bishop Nicholas enjoyed 11 years’ education from the Jesuits at Wimbledon College between 1966 and 1977. He was awarded an exhibition to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he studied history for three years. He entered the Venerable English College, Rome, in 1981 to embark upon six years’ study in philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University. He was ordained as a deacon for the Archdiocese of Southwark at Palazzola, Rome by the 7th Bishop of Plymouth, the Right Reverend Cyril Restieaux, in 1985.
Bishop Nicholas was ordained priest at the Sacred Heart, Wimbledon, by Archbishop Michael Bowen of Southwark in 1986. His first appointment was to the parish of St Thomas of Canterbury in Canterbury from 1987 to 1991. This was followed by a year’s study of catechetics in Louvain by way of preparation to be Director of the Southwark Diocesan Christian Education Centre for some eight years while also being engaged in pastoral ministry at English Martyrs, Streatham.
The year 2000 saw his appointment as Vice-Rector and then, in 2004, as Rector, of the Venerable English College in Rome until 2013. He was for a short time Parish Priest of Sacred Heart, Wimbledon, before being appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster in 2014 and Titular Bishop of St Germans in Cornwall. As Auxiliary Bishop he has particular pastoral responsibility for the Central and Eastern areas of the Diocese, for Evangelisation and Catechesis, Marriage and Family Life, Enclosed Religious, Youth Ministry, and Justice and Peace. He is a trustee of the Cardinal Hume Centre, Providence Row, and the Romero Trust.
Within the Bishops’ Conference, he is Chair of the Department for International Affairs, with particular responsibility for European affairs, and a regular attender of COMECE. He is also Moderator of the Holy Land Coordination Group. In 2023, he was appointed a Papal Nominee to the Synod on Synodality. In 2024 he was elected by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales as their Episcopal Secretary.
His great uncle Noel Baring Hudson was Anglican Bishop of Newcastle and then Bishop of Ely.
The Diocese of Plymouth serves the Catholic community across Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. Covering an area of 12,831 square kilometers (4,955 square miles), the diocese comprises the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Devon, and Dorset.
