Canon Christopher Whitehead is resuming his parish ministry following the sudden cancellation of his ordination as the new Plymouth bishop two months ago, which included his role as a parish priest being put on pause during a subsequent investigation.

In an unprecedented move at the start of the year, the bishops of England and Wales cancelled the ordination of the Bishop-elect of Plymouth just weeks before Whitehead's installation Mass.

A priest of the Diocese of Clifton, Whitehead also took a leave of absence from his active ministry while a canonical process was undertaken by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

At the time, the bishops’ conference refused to give any further explanation for the sudden and mysterious cancellation of the ordination beyond a short statement confirming the fact.