CATHOLIC archbishop Richard Moth addressed church failures to tackle abuses at his weekend installation ceremony.

He was formally installed as the 12th archbishop of Westminster before a 2,000-strong congregation on Saturday. 

The new leader of about four million Catholics in England and Wales said he was aware of the church’s failures and the need to listen to victims of abuse.

“I am most aware of every occasion on which members of the church, or the church as a whole, have failed — most especially when the vulnerable have been abused,” Mr Moth said.

“We need not fear the great questions of our time: the need for all peoples to live in peace; the value and dignity of every person; the right to life at every stage; the protection of the vulnerable; the plight of the refugee and the dispossessed; and the protection of our common home.”

The church has been rocked by abuse scandals, which led to the Roman Catholic Church Investigation Report into the extent of institutional failings to protect children from sexual abuse.

Between 1970 and 2015, the Catholic Church received more than 900 complaints involving over 3,000 instances of child sexual abuse against more than 900 individuals connected to the church, including priests, monks and volunteers.

In the same period, there were 177 prosecutions resulting in 133 convictions. Civil claims against dioceses and religious institutes have resulted in millions of pounds being paid in compensation.