Lord mayor of Westminster to receive papal knighthood, highest honor for lay Catholics

Councillor Robert Rigby will become a knight of St. Gregory in 2025. The news came as a shock to the lord mayor, who told CNA: “It’s a wonderful honor. I’m rather blown over by the whole thing. I didn’t ever expect anything like this.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of Westminster City Council

London, England, Dec 28, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The lord mayor of Westminster in London said he is “blown over” after being chosen to become a papal knight — the highest honor a lay Catholic can receive from the Vatican.

Councillor Robert Rigby will become a knight of St. Gregory sometime in 2025. 

The news came as a shock to the lord mayor, who told CNA: “It’s a wonderful honor. I’m rather blown over by the whole thing. I didn’t ever expect anything like this. It’s a great honor for me.”

Rigby, 63, has been vocal about how his faith impacts his role as lord mayor, pointing to the impact of his Benedictine education at Ampleforth College in Yorkshire. 

“I was educated by the Benedictines so there are two key strands to my life: listening and humility. I have taken them through to my public life,” he said.

“Listening to others and being humble, keeping my feet on level ground and respecting others, I think it’s important. Everyone talks about serving others, but I really do think it’s important that you recognize others and help where you can.”

Papal knighthoods are bestowed in recognition of an individual’s service to their faith, community, or the work of the Holy See on a local, national, or international level. 

Elected lord mayor in May, Rigby immediately spoke publicly about his faith during interviews for Catholic media. As a former chair of the Catholic Union and a member of the Catenians (a Catholic men’s association), he has strived to tackle the issue of homelessness in London by serving lunch to homeless people at the Central London Catholic Churches homeless lunch service.

Rigby nominated the Cardinal Hume Centre as one of his named charities to support. The center, which is named after Benedictine Cardinal Basil Hume (1923–1999), a former archbishop of Westminster, supports homeless people and looks after teenagers who have drifted from their families. The Cardinal Hume Centre also looks out for people who have arrived in the U.K. with no support.

“I’m concerned about the state of homelessness, of people coming to this country and not having a safety net,” Rigby said. “The Cardinal Hume Centre does great work in reaching out to those people. I also have a personal connection because I was educated by the Benedictines. The Cardinal Hume Centre is a good way to be able to promote my faith.”

Another example of his faith informing his public life came after the recent devastating floods in Valencia, Spain. 

The lord mayor reached out to London’s Spanish community by attending a special requiem Mass held at St. James’ Spanish Place Church. Also present was the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, and José Pascual Marco, Spanish ambassador to the U.K. 

“I wanted to be there to stress the city stands with Valencia during this traumatic time and the loss of life has been felt deeply here,” Rigby said.

Reflecting on his appointment, Rigby spoke of his connections with “remarkable Catholics” he has worked alongside. “As lord mayor, it has been my privilege to meet some remarkable Catholics who demonstrate their faith in action in a range of ways. I hope to keep doing the same, and this award really is a crowning accolade for me as a public and private person.”

Dedicating the award “to all those who I serve, whether that’s in public or private life,” Rigby defined his Catholic faith as a “guide” in his role as lord mayor of Westminster. 

“As lord mayor you are the first citizen for 210,000 people from a whole range of backgrounds, cultures, and faith,” he said.

“For me it was important to demonstrate how my own faith guides what I do, and why I think it is so important to be able to talk about my Catholic faith in public life.”

Rigby expects to be presented with the papal honor at a ceremony next year. 

“It will be a fantastic day and one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he said.