VATICAN CITY (OSV News) ─ Pope Leo XIV has named Australian Archbishop Anthony Randazzo as prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, the Vatican body responsible for interpreting the Catholic Church's canon law.
The pope's latest appointment on March 25 fills a post in the Roman Curia that had been vacant since September. Archbishop Randazzo succeeds Archbishop Filippo Iannone, whom Pope Leo named prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in September.
Archbishop Randazzo, 59, is the bishop of Broken Bay in Australia and the president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania. In conjunction with the appointment, the pope granted him the personal title of archbishop.
The Dicastery for Legislative Texts, formerly known as the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, serves as the Roman Curia's authority on the interpretation of existing canon law. It works closely with the Church's tribunals, but does not hold independent law-making authority.
A native of Australia, Archbishop Randazzo was ordained a priest in Brisbane in 1991 and later pursued studies in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He brings direct curial experience to the role, having worked for five years in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith beginning in 2004, a role that would have provided him with experience in the Vatican's disciplinary section handling abuse cases.
Pope Francis appointed him as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney in 2016 before he was later named bishop of Broken Bay in 2019.
Australia's ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt, welcomed the appointment, calling it "a proud moment for Australia and the Pacific as we remain hopeful for a Papal visit to our region in 2028."
Archbishop Randazzo will remain in Broken Bay for three months as apostolic administrator before relocating to Rome to assume his new duties. In a statement on social media, he said he was "deeply grateful to Pope Leo for the trust he has placed in me."
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Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.
