BREAKING Pope Leo XIV Appoints Bishop Steven Lopes as Apostolic Administrator Sede Vacante of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Australia)

Pope Leo XIV appointed a new Apostolic Administrator for the Anglican Ordinariate in Australia, on the 11th of May 2026. 

Release: The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross joyfully welcomes the announcement at noon Rome time that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Steven J. Lopes as Apostolic Administrator. 

(Vatican Media 2026 image of Pope Leo XIV - Bishop Lopes far left)

Bishop Lopes serves as the first Bishop and second Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter in North America since 2015. He now becomes the fourth Ordinary to oversee the Ordinariate in Australia since its erection in 2012. He succeeds Archbishop Anthony Randazzo, who has served as Apostolic Administrator since 2023 and has now been called to Rome to serve as Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts at the Holy See.
This appointment marks a new chapter in the life of the Ordinariate in Australia, which continues to grow steadily in its mission and witness within the Catholic Church. In recent years, the Ordinariate has experienced renewed stability and development through the work of Archbishop Anthony Randazzo, building upon the foundations established by the Ordinary Emeriti, Monsignor Harry Entwistle and Monsignor Carl Reid.
Among these developments has been the establishment of Vocations and Clergy Funds to support the longterm formation and sustainability of the Ordinariate’s clergy and communities. This ongoing growth was recently reflected in the ordinations of Deacons Nigel and Andrew in April 2026, manifesting signs of continued vitality and hope for the future of the Ordinariate in Australia.
Reflecting on his appointment, Bishop Lopes said:
“Happily and providentially, I am no stranger to the Ordinariate in Australia having visited several times over the years to participate in various Ordinariate events and clergy gatherings.” “My task now is to be its custodian for a while, encouraging its people to grow in the beauty of holiness as the surest means of growth and fruitfulness.”
Bishop Lopes brings firsthand experience in the life and mission of the Ordinariates. Prior to his episcopal appointment, he served for more than a decade in Rome as an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and was closely involved in the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus and the establishment of the Personal Ordinariates, helping shape the structures that continue to preserve and foster the Anglican patrimony within the Catholic Church.

Holy See Release - At the conclusion of the mandate of the Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Australia) and appointment of the Apostolic Administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Ordinariate

The Holy Father has established the conclusion of the mandate of His Excellency Bishop Anthony Randazzo as Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Australia), following his appointment as Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.

The Holy Father has appointed His Excellency Bishop Steven Joseph Lopes, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of The Chair of Saint Peter (United States and Canada), as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Australia).

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/05/11/0396/00771.html