Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster as apostolic administrator of the diocese of Northampton after Northampton’s bishop, David Oakley, was charged by police on two counts of child rape.

The management of the case by the Catholic Church in the UK has raised serious questions regarding Church leaders’ adherence to safeguarding procedure and their commitment to transparent governance.

Bishop David Oakley stepped down from public ministry for unspecified “personal reasons” last October, though it recently emerged that police had arrested the prelate for rape of an underage girl in September of last year.

Last week, Staffordshire Police released a statement saying Oakley has been charged “with two counts of rape [against] a female under 16.”

“Oakley is due to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 14 August,” the police statement also said.

In addition to Church officials failure to disclose Oakley’s arrest, Crux Now has also discovered that Oakley quietly stepped back as director of the St Luke’s Centre, which provides candidate assessments for potential clerics and religious, also in October.

Crux Now reached out to Northampton diocese, Westminster archdiocese, and CBCEW for further information but all three pointed Crux Now to already available public information.

According to the police, the allegations are said to have taken place in February 2000 and February 2001 in Staffordshire when he was a parish priest in the diocese of Birmingham.

Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster will take control of Northampton diocese on a temporary basis.

“I am humbled by the trust which His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has placed in me by assigning me this mission as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Northampton, in addition to my ministry as the Archbishop of Westminster,” Moth said.

“I ask those whom I am called to serve to pray for me, that the Lord will continue to give me His spiritual guidance and wisdom needed to fulfil these duties,” he added.

Following the announcement by Staffordshire police, the diocese of Northampton released a statement acknowledging the news.

“The Diocese of Northampton can confirm that Bishop David Oakley has been charged after an investigation into non-recent safeguarding allegations,” the Northampton statement said.

“We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned,” the statement also said, adding that the diocese “cannot comment further on an active legal process.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales also put out a statement following Staffordshire’s announcement.

“We are profoundly aware that the report of this allegation may reawaken painful memories for many people and again offer an unreserved apology to those who have been hurt by abuse in the Catholic Church in England and Wales,” the conference’s statement said.

“In this moment we would like to provide pastoral reassurance on the commitment of the Church to safeguarding,” the statement said.

Oakley, meanwhile, remains officially the Bishop of Northampton, though he is without governing power over the diocese.

Queries from Crux Now to the Vatican press office, including when the Holy See learned of the allegations against Oakley, when the Holy See first learned of his arrest, and whether the Holy See plans to investigate the case independently, were without immediate reply.