Christopher McLeod is an Australian

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, originally known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2016, responding to a peer-reviewed study ...

. He has been an

assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan bishop, suffragan) bishops – in ...

in the

Anglican Diocese of Adelaide The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. It is centred in the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia and extends along the eastern shore of the Gulf St Vincent from the town of Eudunda in the ...

, as the Bishop for Aboriginal Ministry, since April 2015. McLeod is the second Australian National Aboriginal Bishop, and is only the third Aboriginal person to be a bishop in Australia (and the first in South Australia). He has also been the dean of

St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Adelaide and Metropolitan of the Province of South Australia. The cathedral, a significant Adelaide landmark, is sit ...

, since 31 October 2021. McLeod is a

Gurindji Gurindji may refer to: * Gurindji, Northern Territory, a locality in Australia *Gurindji people, an Australian Aboriginal people **Gurindji language, the language of the Gurindji people ** Gurindji Kriol language, the main language now spoken by ...

man whose country is located within the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, southwest of

Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

. His mother and grandmother were part of the

Stolen generation The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church mis ...

, and his mother was brought to Adelaide by a priest who had set up a number of places for Aboriginal people to come to. Prior to becoming a bishop, McLeod worked alongside Indigenous people for over 20 years. His appointment immediately prior to being appointed as a bishop was as rector of St Jude's Church in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. McLeod was appointed assistant bishop in the Diocese of Adelaide in 2015. He became only the third Aboriginal Australian to become a bishop, after

Arthur Malcolm Alistair Arthur Malcolm (1934 – 29 July 2022) was the first Aboriginal bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia, licensed as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of North Queensland. Born in Yarrabah, Queensland, and ordained a priest in 1978 ...

who served in the

Diocese of North Queensland The Diocese of North Queensland is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1879. It is situated in the northern part of the state of Queensland, Australia. As part of the Province of Queensland, it covers the Torres Strait Isl ...

from 1985 to 2000, and Jim Leftwich who served in the same diocese from 2001 to 2010. He is the second to hold office as National Aboriginal Bishop (after Leftwich). McLeod has encouraged Christians to incorporate an

acknowledgement of country A Welcome to Country is a ritual or formal ceremony performed as a land acknowledgement at many events held in Australia. It is an event intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to the descendants of a particular ...

into their gatherings as an "acceptable and respectful practice". In August 2021, McLeod was announced as the next dean of

, with his installation on 31 October, 2021.

References

21st-century Anglican bishops in Australia Assistant bishops in the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Deans of Adelaide Indigenous Australian clergy {{Australia-Anglican-bishop-stub