Lord Mayor of Westminster receives papal knighthood

“To become a Knight of St Gregory has been a wonderful honour. This award really is a crowning accolade for me as a public and private person.”

The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Robert Rigby, has been awarded a papal knighthood for his services in public life and to the Church.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Westminster Auxiliary, conferred the honour of Knight of the Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great on Rigby at a service in Westminster cathedral last week.

Rigby wore the traditional dark green Knight of Saint Gregory uniform, including a cocked hat, white gloves and dress sword.

Founded in 1831, the order of Saint Gregory is bestowed upon lay Catholic men and women in recognition of their services to the Holy See, the Church and their communities.

Bishop Hudson said: “In recognition of Councillor Rigby’s dedicated public service as a member of the City Council and the Catholic Union, and in view of his commitment to his Catholic faith, I was delighted to invest him as a Knight of the Pontifical Order of Saint Gregory the Great.”

Rigby, a former chair of the Catholic Union, was elected Lord Mayor in 2024 and has since spoken publicly about his Catholic faith.

One of his two chosen charities for his one-year term of Lord Mayor is the Cardinal Hume Centre which “helps families, children and young people to overcome poverty and avoid homelessness”.

Rigby has also visited Catholic projects during his term, including serving lunch and dinner to homeless people with the Central London Catholic Churches and Companions of the Order of Malta.

He reinstated the annual civic service at Westminster cathedral, the first to be held at a Catholic venue in more than 20 years. About 500 guests attended the service on 16 March including the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who blessed Rigby’s “dedicated efforts”.

Rigby said: “To become a Knight of St Gregory has been a wonderful honour. I didn’t expect anything like this.

“When I became Lord Mayor, I wanted to talk publicly about my faith. Being the first citizen of Westminster, you meet a range of different communities and it is clear to me that faith plays a key role in how people live their lives.

“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 as councillor and then Lord Mayor.

“My two campaigns as Lord Mayor have been highlighting the homeless and inspiring young people to stay active. The Cardinal Hume Centre has been a brilliant example of both – helping teenagers who have fallen through the cracks and drifted from home to find hope and purpose.

“As Lord Mayor, it has been my privilege to meet some remarkable Catholics who demonstrate their faith in action in a range of ways. This award really is a crowning accolade for me as a public and private person.”

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