Pope Appoints Temporary Administrator for Diocese in Northampton, United Kingdom, After Bishop Is Charged with Rape

Bishop David James Oakley, 70, appeared before Westminster Magistrates on 10 September 2025, according to The Tablet. He joined by video link from his lawyer’s office and was released on bail with conditions prohibiting contact with the alleged victim or her family. Staffordshire Police had confirmed in June 2025 that he had been charged with two counts of rape involving a female under 16. He has not been tried or convicted, and the charges are allegations that remain to be tested in court.

Belfast Live reported that Bishop Oakley had become Bishop of Northampton in 2020 and that the charges were based on non-recent allegations. The case was investigated by Staffordshire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team and was forwarded to the Old Bailey for a plea hearing. Prosecutor Sarah Madden told the court that the alleged victim recalls sexual encounters with the defendant on at least two occasions. Those statements were made in court proceedings and have not been established as findings of fact.

The two reports differ on the sequence of arrest and charge. The Tablet states that the charges were filed in June 2025, following Oakley’s arrest in September of the same year. Belfast Live reports only that he was arrested “last year” and has been withdrawn from public ministry. The Tablet says Oakley stepped down from public ministry as the police investigation began. Neither report supplies further detail on the timing of these steps.

The Diocese of Northampton issued a statement acknowledging the distress the case has caused. It declined to comment further on the ongoing legal process. A police spokesman, cited by Belfast Live, said Oakley was due to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 14 August. That date differs from the 10 September appearance before Westminster Magistrates reported by The Tablet, and the sources do not explain the difference.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop of Westminster Richard Moth as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Northampton, according to Belfast Live. The Tablet attributes the appointment to the same arrangement without naming the pope as the appointing authority. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales announced that the appointment ensures continued pastoral governance of the diocese. Archbishop Moth will continue to reside and work at Archbishop’s House in Westminster, London, while also supporting the people and clergy of Northampton. The appointment is described as a temporary measure to maintain the diocese’s governance (Psalm 82:3).