The Catholic Diocese of Plymouth remains without a bishop after a second appointee stepped down before taking office.

Auxiliary Bishop Philip Moger of Southwark was appointed by Pope Francis last year to lead the diocese.

However, just days before his scheduled installation at Plymouth Cathedral, it was announced that the ceremony would not proceed due to “concerns of a personal nature”.

In a statement, Bishop Philip explained that personal circumstances requiring his attention had taken longer than expected, ultimately leading him to resign from the appointment with the Pope’s approval.

The Diocese of Plymouth has now been without a bishop for nearly three years, following the departure of Bishop Mark O’Toole, who became Archbishop of Cardiff.

Bishop Philip has chosen to take a sabbatical for prayer and reflection on the future of his ministry. “I realise, with regret, that this leaves a continuing vacancy in the Diocese of Plymouth. I assure the lay faithful, clergy, and religious of the Diocese of my good wishes and prayers, and ask the same of them for me,” he said.

His resignation marks the second time in just a year that a bishop-elect for Plymouth has withdrawn. Prior to Moger’s appointment, Pope Francis named Canon Christopher Whitehead of the Diocese of Clifton as Plymouth’s tenth bishop.

Whitehead was due to be ordained in February 2024 but was forced to step down following allegations that were later proven unfounded.

His ordination was cancelled by the bishops of England and Wales just weeks before it was set to take place.

Additionally, he was suspended from active ministry while a canonical process was conducted before resuming parish ministry at the Church of St John the Evangelist in Bath soon after.