Bishop Anthony Ireland, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, has been appointed Archbishop of Hobart after Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Archbishop Julian Porteous.
Bishop Ireland has served as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne since 2021 and prior to that, served the Archdiocese as a priest since 1987.
Bishop Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay, said Bishop Ireland would be a wonderful shepherd for the Church in Tasmania.
“At the heart of his ministry lies a deep desire to know and love the person of Jesus Christ, an enduring commitment that has shaped his vocation,” he said.
“The faithful of Hobart will be blessed with a leader who is both a scholar and a compassionate shepherd, devoted to guiding the Church with wisdom and humility.
“I also extend my sincere best wishes and gratitude to Archbishop Julian Porteous, who has faithfully shepherded the Archdiocese of Hobart since 2013.”
Bishop Ireland was born in Melbourne and grew up in a devoutly Catholic household. Prior to joining the seminary, he worked for National Australia Bank and the City of Hawthorn.
He was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Melbourne on 19 September 1987. In 1990, he went to Rome to study Moral and Spiritual Theology, graduating from the Pontifical University of S. Thomas Aquinas in Rome where his doctorate was awarded Summa cum Laude.
He served in various parishes across the Archdiocese before being appointed Auxiliary Bishop by Pope Francis in 2021.
He will become the 12th Archbishop of Hobart when he is installed, succeeding Archbishop Porteous who has served in Tasmania for almost 12 years.
Hobart is the 17th largest diocese in Australia by Catholic population, and the smallest Archdiocese in Australia. It is one of the oldest though, erected as a Apostolic Vicariate (a provisional jurisdiction not yet established as a diocese) in 1842.
The appointed of Bishop Ireland is the second episcopal appointment made my Pope Leo XIV this week. Bishop Shane Mackinlay was appointed to succeed Archbishop Mark Coleridge on Wednesday.
Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Archbishop Julian Porteous had both reached the canonical retirement age of 75, when they are required to submit their resignation to the Holy Father. The resignation does not have to be accepted immediately, however.
Bishop Paul Bird, Bishop of Ballarat, has also reached the canonical retirement age of 75 and Bishop Michael McCarthy, Bishop of Rockhampton, will turn 75 in September.
A date for Bishop Ireland’s installation as Archbishop of Hobart has not been set.