Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop Steven Lopes of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter as apostolic administrator of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, expanding the Texas-based bishop’s pastoral responsibility to Australia and parts of Oceania.
The appointment, announced on May 11, follows the transfer of Archbishop Anthony Randazzo, who had overseen the Australian ordinariate since 2023, to the role of prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. Bishop Lopes will serve as temporary custodian of the ordinariate while retaining leadership of the North American structure.
