“In fidelity to Christ the Good Shepherd and Eternal High Priest and in loyalty to the Gospel and the Magisterium, I will endeavour to work diligently for the building up of Christ’s Kingdom in communion with all my brothers and sisters in the faith,” he noted.
Newsroom (12/09/2022 11:53 PM Gaudium Press) — On the memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pope Francis appointed Msgr. Frank Leo as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Montreal. Bishop-elect Leo’s episcopal consecration was on September 12, 2022.
Bishop-designate Leo commented on the appointment from the Holy Father:
“I am both humbled and grateful to Pope Francis for calling me to serve as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Montreal and thus immerse myself even more in the ministry and mission of our local Church. With gratitude also to Archbishop Lépine for his support, confidence and trust, I look forward to sharing my faith, all that I am and all that I have with the People of God all the while relying on the intercession of Mother Mary so as to minister with a compassionate and listening heart. In fidelity to Christ the Good Shepherd and Eternal High Priest and in loyalty to the Gospel and the Magisterium, I will endeavour to work diligently for the building up of Christ’s Kingdom in communion with all my brothers and sisters in the faith.”
Bishop-elect Leo was born in Montreal in 1971 to Italian immigrant parents and attended Eugenio Pacelli Elementary School, John F. Kennedy High School and CEGEP Vanier. He entered the Grand Séminaire de Montréal in 1990 and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Montreal on December 14, 1996. He served in different parish assignments in Montreal until 2006, when he enrolled in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome and entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See. On January 9, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Chaplain of His Holiness, bestowing the title of Monsignor.
When he returned to Canada, Bishop-designate Leo joined the formation team of the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, teaching theology and philosophy while providing spiritual direction, formation, and accompaniment to the candidates for the priesthood. In 2015, he was appointed General Secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB); his appointment ended in the fall of 2021. On February 1, 2022, he was named Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Montreal.
In addition to his graduate studies in Canon Law, Bishop-elect Leo holds a doctorate in Systematic Theology with a specialization in Mariology, a Licentiate in Philosophy, a diploma in Classical Studies, and a graduate certificate in spiritual direction. He worked as a judge for the Canadian Appeal Tribunal and has taught theology, spirituality, and philosophy in Canada, Australia, and the USA. Bishop Leo is the president and founding member of the Canadian Mariological Society, a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Domenic.
He speaks English, French, Italian, and Spanish.
– Raju Hasmukh
