Pope Leo XIV Appoints English Bishop who Presided at Homosexual Eucharist
This follows failed nominations for Plymouth in December 2023 and September 2024, respectively, of Canon Whitehead and Bishop Moger.
Born in Wimbledon in 1959, Bishop Hudson studied at Cambridge and Rome. He was ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Southwark in 1986. In March 2014, Pope Francis appointed him as an auxiliary bishop of Westminster.
In his first statement on Cbcew.org.uk, Bishop Hudson said today: “I come with a desire to listen and to learn. I hope we can apply all the strengths of synodality to discern ways together to deepen the diocese’s outreach”.
"Radical Inclusion of Homosexuals"
In his intervention at the European Continental Assembly of the Synod in Prague in February 2023, Bishop Hudson listed “the inclusion of LGBT+ people” and their acceptance as a dominant concern.
"Inclusion was a central concern throughout our synodal journey — the inclusion of LGBT+ people and remarried divorcees in the life of the Church. These conversations often revealed a certain tension: the Church’s call to proclaim its authentic teaching boldly, while at the same time bearing witness to radical inclusion and acceptance."
In the Prague text, he also mentioned the "tension between young people who adhere to the 1962 Missal and those who prefer more contemporary celebrations".
In June 2019, Bishop Hudson celebrated the Eucharist to dedicate the new liturgical table at Farm Street Church in London. A diocesan report on the event added that "Farm Street is now a place of welcome and hospitality for all, including the LGBT+ Catholics of the Westminster community".
On 29 July 2023, Martin Pendergast, a theologian and homosexual activist, wrote on NewWaysMinistry.org that Bishop Hudson had "presided at the LGBT+ Catholics welcoming Mass at Farm Street Jesuit Church in London".
Picture: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsYphcrryqhk