# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Adelaide, South Australia.

## Cathedral

St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide.

## History

On 5 April 1842 the Apostolic Vicariate of Adelaide was erected, on territory split from the Apostolic Vicariate of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land (the later primatial Archdiocese of Sydney), both missionary pre-diocesan jurisdictions. It was promoted as the Diocese of Adelaide two weeks later on 22 April 1842, just six years after the first fleet arrived to Glenelg.
In 1845 it lost territory to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of King George Sounde - The Sound, which it recuperated in 1847 at the vicariate's suppression.
On 10 May 1887 it was promoted as the Archdiocese of Adelaide, while losing territory to establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Augusta.
It had a papal visit from Pope John Paul II in November 1986.
On 19 March 2020, Patrick O'Regan was announced by Pope Francis to be the 12th Archbishop of Adelaide.

## Province

The Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Adelaide comprises the metropolitan's own archdiocese and these suffragan dioceses:
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Darwin
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Pirie

## Bishops
### Ordinaries

The following individuals have been elected as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, or any of its precursor titles:
* Francis Murphy, Apostolic vicar (5 April 1842 - 1843)
    Order Name Title Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end 1Francis Murphy (see above) †Bishop of Adelaide22 April 184228 Apr 185816 years, 6 daysDied in office 2Patrick Geoghegan, OFMRef †Bishop of Adelaide15 April 185910 March 18644 years, 330 daysElected as Bishop of Goulburn 3Laurence Sheil, OFMRef †Bishop of Adelaide23 June 18651 March 18726 years, 252 daysDied in office 4Christopher Reynolds †Bishop of Adelaide25 May 187310 May 188713 years, 350 daysElevated as Archbishop of Adelaide Archbishop of Adelaide10 May 188716 June 18936 years, 37 daysDied in office 5John O'Reily †Archbishop of Adelaide5 January 18956 July 191520 years, 182 daysDied in office 6Robert Spence, OP †Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide2 May 19146 July 19151 year, 65 daysSucceeded as Archbishop of Adelaide Archbishop of Adelaide6 July 19155 November 193419 years, 122 daysDied in office 7Andrew Killian †Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide11 July 19335 November 19341 year, 117 daysSucceeded as Archbishop of Adelaide Archbishop of Adelaide5 November 193428 June 19394 years, 235 daysDied in office 8Matthew Beovich †Archbishop of Adelaide11 December 19391 May 197131 years, 141 daysRetired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Adelaide 9James William Gleeson †Auxiliary Bishop of Adelaide15 February 19576 July 19647 years, 142 daysElevated as Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide6 July 19641 May 19716 years, 299 daysSucceeded as Archbishop of Adelaide Archbishop of Adelaide1 May 197119 June 198514 years, 49 daysResigned and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Adelaide 10Leonard Faulkner †Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide2 September 198319 June 19851 year, 290 daysSucceeded as Archbishop of Adelaide Archbishop of Adelaide19 June 19853 December 200116 years, 167 daysRetired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Adelaide 11Philip Wilson †Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide30 November 20003 December 20011 year, 3 daysSucceeded as Archbishop of Adelaide Archbishop of Adelaide3 December 200130 July 201816 years, 239 daysResigned 12Patrick O'ReganArchbishop of Adelaide25 May 2020Incumbent4 years, 137 days
Note: On 3 June 2018 Pope Francis named Bishop Gregory O’Kelly, S.J. of Port Pirie as Apostolic Administrator of Adelaide. This occurred after Archbishop Philip Wilson was initially found guilty of concealing child-abuse on 22 May 2018 and did not resign. Pope Francis eventually accepted his letter of resignation on 30 July 2018. Wilson's conviction was later overturned on appeal, but he did not return to the role.
Coadjutors are included in the above table.

### Auxiliary bishops

| Name | Titles | Start | End | Reason for term end |
| Francis Augustin Henschke † | Auxiliary Bishop of Adelaide, Titular Bishop of Praenetus | 18 May 1937 | 16 November 1939 | appointed Bishop of Wagga Wagga |
| James William Gleeson † | Auxiliary Bishop of Adelaide, Titular Bishop of Sesta | 15 February 1957 | 6 July 1964 | appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide (see above table) |
| Philip James Anthony Kennedy † | Auxiliary Bishop of Adelaide, Titular Bishop of Ros Cré | 29 January 1973 | 23 March 1983 | deceased |
| Gregory O'Kelly S.J. | Auxiliary Bishop of Adelaide, Titular Bishop of Ath Truim | 6 July 2006 | 15 April 2009 | appointed Bishop of Port Pirie |

### Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Charles Victor Emmanuel Gauci, appointed Bishop of Darwin in 2018

## Sexual abuse cases

Father Albert Davis (died 2007), a member of the Dominican Fathers, was charged in 2006 with 17 incidents of indecent assault involving seven boys at Blackfriars Priory School from 1956 to 1960. Davis was committed to stand trial in the Adelaide District Court, but he died before proceedings were commenced.
Father Charles Barnett pleaded guilty in 2009 (after extradition from Indonesia) to three child sex charges for events from 1977 to 1985 at Crystal Brook and Port Pirie.
In September 2011, Senator Nick Xenophon used parliamentary privilege to name an Adelaide priest as the alleged perpetrator of sexual assaults on John Hepworth about 50 years earlier. Senator Xenophon alleged that the Vicar-General of Adelaide, Monsignor David Cappo, had been provided with detailed allegations in 2008 but had failed to act upon them, the investigations still being "at a preliminary stage" and the priest concerned not being stood down during the investigation. An independent inquiry by Michael Abbott QC reported that there was no substance to the allegations, although Hepworth had declined to be interviewed for the inquiry.