Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Anthony Randazzo, until now Bishop of Broken Bay and Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, with the personal title of Archbishop.
The Holy Father announced the appointment on Monday evening. Archbishop Randazzo has served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay for the past six and a half years, and will take up his role in the Roman Curia when he moves to the Vatican in three months. Until that time he will be the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Broken Bay.
The Dicastery for Legislative Texts serves the Roman Pontiff in promoting and safeguarding the proper understanding, interpretation, and application of canon law across the universal Church. Its responsibilities extend to both the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, ensuring that ecclesiastical laws are applied with fidelity, clarity, and juridical precision.
As Prefect, Archbishop Randazzo will oversee the Dicastery’s work in formulating authentic interpretations of universal Church law, offering authoritative clarifications on juridical questions, and assisting in the development and refinement of canonical legislation. He will also guide collaboration with other dicasteries, episcopal conferences, and canonists worldwide to ensure coherence and integrity in the Church’s legal framework.
“I am profoundly grateful to Pope Leo for the confidence and trust he has placed in me,” Archbishop Randazzo, 59 and a canon law graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University, said.
“During my time as bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay the clergy and faithful have been a true joy in my episcopal ministry. I remain forever grateful to God, who entrusted me with the care of His flock.
“It has also been both a privilege and a joy to walk the journey of faith with the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia, an experience that has embodied the reality of lived ecumenism.”
Archbishop Randazzo recently met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome after being stranded in Dubai along with hundreds of other people as a result of the Middle East conflict.
During the next three months Archbishop Randazzo, the fourth bishop of Broken Bay, will preside at the upcoming Chrism Mass and Holy Week Liturgies.
He will also undertake a number of scheduled engagements as the Diocese celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Next month on 21 April in Perth he will ordain two men to the Diaconate of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, and in the Diocese on 29 April he will ordain three Deacons to the Priesthood.
On 28 May Archbishop Randazzo will celebrate Mass with clergy and the faithful marking the establishment of the Diocese in 1986 and the installation of its inaugural bishop, Bishop Patrick Murphy. The following evening the Diocese will mark the 40th anniversary with a dinner and presentation of the Diocesan Awards.
In accepting this appointment, Archbishop Randazzo assumes leadership of a Dicastery with a rich historical development. Originating in the early 20th century with commissions established to interpret and revise the Code of Canon Law, the body evolved through successive reforms under several pontificates. Most recently, under Pope Francis’ Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium (2022), it was reconstituted as a Dicastery, continuing and expanding its vital mission within the Roman Curia.
It is anticipated an Administrator will be appointed to the Diocese of Broken Bay when Archbishop Randazzo takes up his role at the Vatican until the Holy See announces the new Bishop.