Pope Francis appointed Edwards on 7 November 2014 as an Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne and as the Titular Bishop of Garba. Edwards was in Canberra when the apostolic nuncio delivered the news and he later said that he was "surprised and humbled" to be selected as a bishop though lamented that he could no longer resume his teaching duties. Edwards received his episcopal consecration on 17 December 2014 in Saint Patrick's Cathedral from Archbishop Denis James Hart with Mark Benedict Coleridge and Paul Richard Gallagher serving as the co-consecrators. He serves at present as the Episcopal Vicar for Tertiary Education and Youth. Edwards attended World Youth Day in Poland in 2016.