Bishop of Broken Bay, Anthony Randazzo, has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.
The appointment to the Roman Curia is accompanied by the conferral of the title Archbishop and nomination as the Apostolic Administrator of the Broken Bay diocese. Archbishop Randazzo will assume his role in the Roman Curia when he relocates to the Vatican in three months.
The Dicastery for Legislative Texts is the Vatican body responsible for interpreting Church laws and ensuring their correct application worldwide. 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 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.”
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.
Welcoming the appointment, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Perth Archbishop, Timothy Costelloe SDB, said Archbishop Randazzo’s formation and extensive experience in canon law was a profound gift to the Church.
“His expertise and guidance in the area of canon law has been invaluable in the work of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference,” he said.
“He understands canon law as a tool to be exercised in the service of the Gospel and the pastoral good of the Church.
“We offer our prayers for him as he takes on this important ministry in the Roman Curia.”
Archbishop Randazzo was appointed the fourth Bishop of Broken Bay in October 2019.
He was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Brisbane in 1991. Following parish and diocesan responsibilities in Brisbane, he moved to Rome where he gained qualifications in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He would later work for five years at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Upon returning to Australia, Archbishop Randazzo served as rector of Queensland’s Holy Spirit Seminary before becoming an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney in 2016.
He was a member of the Permanent Committee of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and chair of the Conference’s Episcopal Panel for Canon Law.
He is also currently President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO) and the Apostolic Administrator of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross.
