Christopher McLeod is an Australian

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

in the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the ...

. 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) bishops – in which case th ...

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 The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the ...

, 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 situ ...

, 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 Guri ...

man whose country is located within the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

, southwest of

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

. 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 miss ...

, 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 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

. 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 197 ...

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 I ...

from 1985 to 2000, and

Jim Leftwich James Randolph Leftwich (1944 - 27 January 2020) was the national Aboriginal bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia, licensed as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of North Queensland. Leftwich was educated at Nungalinya College and Wontul ...

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 intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to the descendants of a particular Aborigina ...

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) Indigenous Australian people Deans of Adelaide Indigenous Australian clergy {{Australia-Anglican-bishop-stub