The Catholic Diocese of Plymouth remains without a bishop after the second man appointed to the post has resigned before taking up the position.

His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Bishop Philip Moger as Bishop of the Diocese of Plymouth, which covers Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, in September last year.

However, just weeks before he was due to start in November, Bishop Moger, delayed taking up the role after ‘concerns of a personal nature’ were raised.

Bishop Moger of Southwark was previously a priest in the Diocese of Leeds.

‘All things considered, I have come to the decision to present to the Holy Father a request to step down from my appointment as the Bishop of the Diocese of Plymouth. The Holy Father has accepted my request,’ said Bishop Moger. ‘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 added.

Bishop Moger now plans to take a sabbatical to give himself time for prayer and personal reflection on the next stage of his journey of ministry.

The Diocese of Plymouth has been without a bishop for nearly three years since Bishop Mark O’Toole moved to become Archbishop of Cardiff.

Prior to Bishop Moger’s appointment, His Holiness Pope Francis had appointed Canon Christopher Whitehead from the Diocese of Clifton as the tenth Bishop of Plymouth.

However, his ordination, which was due to take place in February 2024, was cancelled after allegations were made against the cleric. Father Christopher subsequently returned to his ministry in Bath after the Diocese of Clifton undertook a preliminary investigation and ruled that ‘no canonical action was warranted’.