Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Shane Mackinlay as the new Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia, succeeding Archbishop Mark Coleridge. Mackinlay's appointment marks a significant leadership change within the Catholic Church in Brisbane. He will be installed at St. Stephen's Cathedral on September 11 and will oversee Australia's second-largest diocese. Bishop Mackinlay has been involved in synodal processes and brings a background in theology, physics, and philosophy to his new role. His focus includes emphasizing clear faith witness in society.
9 days ago
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Shane Mackinlay as the new Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia 1 3. He succeeds Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who is retiring after 13 years of leadership 1. Mackinlay will be installed at St. Stephen’s Cathedral on September 11 and will have pastoral responsibility for over 684,000 Catholics across 94 parishes in southeastern Queensland 1 3.
Shane Anthony Mackinlay was born in Melbourne in 1965 and later moved to Ballarat 2. He excelled academically, studying physics at Monash University and earning a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium 1 2. Ordained a priest in 1991, he served in parish ministry and was appointed master of Catholic Theological College in Melbourne from 2011 to 2019 1 3. In 2019, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Sandhurst 1 3.
Mackinlay has played a prominent role in synodal processes, both in Australia and internationally 1. He was the vice-president of Australia’s Fifth Plenary Council 2. He also served as a delegate to the Synod on Synodality in Rome, where he was elected to the Commission for the Synthesis Report 1 3. Mackinlay also attended the fifth assembly of the German Synodal Way as an observer 1.
Mackinlay has expressed a willingness to engage with questions such as the possibility of admitting women to the diaconate 1 3. He emphasized fidelity to Church doctrine alongside pastoral accompaniment for LGBT Catholics 1 3. During his first visit to Brisbane, he stressed the importance of missionary clarity in a society indifferent to religious belief, advocating for invitation and witness rather than instruction 1 3. He also voiced support for Fiducia supplicans, suggesting it was an early fruit of the synodal process 2.
Archbishop Coleridge praised Mackinlay as an "unusually gifted man" with intellectual clarity and administrative competence 1 2 3. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe also welcomed the appointment 1 3. However, Bishop Joseph Strickland criticized the appointment, citing Mackinlay's views on women deacons as a source of "scandal and division" 2. Mackinlay's appointment is expected to maintain the status quo regarding the Australian Catholic University, where he will likely defend the university's leadership against accusations of diluting its Catholic identity 2.
Episcopal succession ensures apostolicity within the Catholic Church.
Apostolic succession, particularly through episcopal succession, is indeed a critical element in ensuring the apostolicity of the Catholic Church . Apostolicity means that the Church of today is one with the Church of the Apostles in origin, doctrine, and mission .
Here's a breakdown of how episcopal succession ensures apostolicity:
In summary, episcopal succession is essential for apostolicity because it ensures the continuity of the Church's teaching, sanctification, and governance from the Apostles to their successors, the bishops . This unbroken chain of succession guarantees that the Church remains faithful to its origins, its doctrine, and its mission .