The 267th Supreme Pontiff
and the Successor of St Peter
Pope Leo XIV
The Catholic Church is the biggest Christian denomination, with a billion members worldwide. Our leader is called affectionately “the Pope”, which means “Father”. We call the Pope “Father”, just as we call our priest “Father”, because the Pope represents God as our Father, who loves us, who made us, and who sent his Son to die on the cross for us.
The Pope represents God our Father in a special way, because like a good parent he guards the truth of the revelation which Jesus Christ handed on to his apostles (followers), the chief of whom was Simon whom Jesus called in his own language Cephas, meaning “Rock”. We believe that the present Pope is the successor of Peter, the Fisherman.
During his lifetime, Jesus made Peter the leader of his church on earth, to take over when Jesus died, rose again from the dead, and went to be with his Father in heaven. He said to Peter, after Simon had named Jesus as “the Son of the Living God”; “Simon, Son of John, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I say that you are Peter (the Rock) and on this Rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell will not triumph against it. Whatever you shall bind on earth you shall bind in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. [Matthew 16.17-19] Jesus was giving Peter an immense authority; to act for Christ in guarding the truth.
To cut a long story short, Peter did just that. He eventually went to Rome, and was crucified in the Roman games. Tradition has it that he asked to be crucified upside down, because he said he did not deserve to be crucified the same way up as his Lord! You can see his tomb today, underneath the Basilica of Saint Peter.
There have been more than two hundred Popes since then, as successors of Peter. They are like Peter, human, with no doubt human failings. But we believe as Catholics that they share his authority. The Holy Spirit gives the Pope, together with all the Catholic bishops of the world, the special gift to be able to discern the true faith, and to teach that faith to the church and to the world.
Pope Leo XIV was elected in May 2025 after a distinguished ministry as a missionary, and leader of the Augustinian Order. You can read his writings and news about the Holy Father on the Vatican website here:
The Third Bishop of Wrexham
Bishop Peter Brignall
A diocesan bishop is given the authority by the Pope to exercise his pastoral function over his local diocese. Bishop Peter was appointed Bishop of Wrexham by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2012 and was ordained as a bishop in September 2012.
Born in Whetstone, London, he was ordained as a priest by the Rt Rev Langton Fox, Bishop of Menevia in 1978 and was incardinated as a priest to the diocese of Wrexham on the 12 February 1987. Bishop Peter was Cathedral Dean of Our Lady of Sorrows in Wrexham from 1999 and then Vicar General of the Diocese from 2003.
When it was announced by the Holy See that Bishop Peter had been appointed, he said:
“Having overcome the initial astonishment of the Holy Father’s expression of confidence in me, am humbled and honoured to accept this appointment and to be able again to commit my life to the service of the Catholic Church in North Wales, a Church that now 35 years ago I chose and offered to work in and for on leaving London.”
You can read more about Bishop Peter and his work across our Diocese by visiting the Diocesan website here.
