The Holy See has announced the appointment of Bishop Anthony Randazzo as Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.
The Bishop of Broken Bay will take up the post while remaining in Australia for three months as apostolic administrator before relocating to Rome. In a public statement on Facebook, he responded with characteristic restraint, writing: “I am deeply grateful to Pope Leo for the trust he has placed in me.” He added that his years in Broken Bay had been “a true joy” and said: “I remain ever grateful to God, who has entrusted me with the care of his flock,” asking for prayers as he prepares for the new responsibility.
He succeeds Archbishop Filippo Iannone, who led the Dicastery for Legislative Texts until 2025. Archbishop Filippo Iannone now heads the Dicastery for Bishops. The post had remained vacant for several months following his departure, leaving the office without a permanent prefect during that period before the appointment of Bishop Anthony Randazzo was confirmed by the Holy See.
The Dicastery for Legislative Texts shapes how legislation is applied across the universal Church, particularly in areas of discipline, governance and judicial procedure. Its work intersects with the Apostolic Signatura, the Roman Rota and other tribunals, making its leadership critical in maintaining coherence in the Church’s legal system.
The office Bishop Randazzo inherits has evolved over time. Formerly known as the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, it was incorporated into the structure of dicasteries under the reforms of the Roman Curia.
Bishop Randazzo’s formation and career suggest a continuity of emphasis on technical competence. Educated in Queensland and ordained a priest for Brisbane in 1991, he quickly moved into roles that combined parish work with diocesan governance. His early service included time as an auditor of the regional ecclesiastical tribunal and secretary to diocesan bodies, before being sent to Rome in 1998 to study canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. There he obtained a licentiate, equipping him for the judicial and administrative work that would follow.
His subsequent appointment as an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2004 to 2008 is likely to be read in Rome as particularly significant.
Returning to Australia, Randazzo combined seminary leadership, vocations work and tribunal service before being appointed auxiliary bishop of Sydney in 2016 and Bishop of Broken Bay in 2019. His presidency of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania since 2023 has further broadened his administrative profile, placing him in regular contact with episcopal leadership across a geographically and culturally diverse region.
