List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Sydney

This is a list of the bishops and archbishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney since 1842.^[1] The title also is the Catholic Primate of Australia.

Archdiocese of Sydney
Adopted	1842
Crest	Mitre and shield
Torse	None
Shield	Crux (Southern Cross); cross
Supporters	None

List of bishops

Order	Name	Title	Date enthroned	Reign ended	Term of office	Reason for term end	Notes
1	John Bede Polding, OSB	Bishop of Sydney	5 April 1842	22 April 1842	17 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney	[2]

List of archbishops

Order	Name	Title	Date enthroned	Reign ended	Term of office	Reason for term end	Notes
1	John Bede Polding, OSB	Archbishop of Sydney	22 April 1842	16 March 1877	34 years, 328 days	Died in office	[2]
2	Roger Bede Vaughan, OSB	Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney	28 February 1873	16 March 1877	4 years, 16 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney	[3]
		Archbishop of Sydney	16 March 1877	17 August 1883	6 years, 154 days	Died in office
3	Patrick Cardinal Moran	Archbishop of Sydney	14 March 1884	17 August 1911	27 years, 156 days	Died in office	[4]
		Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna	27 July 1885		26 years, 21 days
4	Michael Kelly	Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney	16 July 1901	17 August 1911	10 years, 32 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney	[5]
		Archbishop of Sydney	17 August 1911	8 March 1940	28 years, 204 days	Died in office
5	Sir Norman Cardinal Gilroy, KBE	Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney	1 July 1937	8 March 1940	2 years, 251 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney	[6]
		Archbishop of Sydney	8 March 1940	9 July 1971	31 years, 123 days	Retired as Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney
		Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati	18 February 1946	21 October 1977	31 years, 245 days	Died in office
6	Sir James Cardinal Freeman, KBE	Archbishop of Sydney	9 July 1971	12 February 1983	11 years, 218 days	Retired as Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney	[7]
		Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia mare	5 March 1973	16 March 1991	18 years, 11 days	Died in office
7	Edward Cardinal Clancy, AC	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	25 October 1973	24 Nov 1978	3 years, 30 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Canberra (and Goulburn)	[8]
		Archbishop of Sydney	12 February 1983	26 March 2001	18 years, 42 days	Retired as Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney
		Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Vallicella	28 June 1988	3 August 2014	26 years, 36 days	Died in office
8	George Cardinal Pell, AC	Archbishop of Sydney	26 March 2001	24 February 2014	12 years, 335 days	Elevated to Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy	[9]
		Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello	21 October 2003	10 January 2023	19 years, 81 days
9	Anthony Fisher, OP	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	3 September 2003	4 March 2010	6 years, 182 days	Elevated to Bishop of Parramatta	[10]
		Bishop of Parramatta	4 March 2010	12 November 2014	4 years, 253 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney
		Archbishop of Sydney	12 November 2014	present	3911 days

Auxiliary bishops

Order	Name	Title	Date enthroned	Reign ended	Term of office	Reason for term end	Notes
1	Joseph Higgins	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	11 September 1888	4 May 1899	10 years, 235 days	Elevated to Bishop of Rockhampton	[11]
2	Michael Sheehan	Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney	22 February 1922	1 July 1937	15 years, 129 days	Retired as Coadjutor Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney	[12]
		Coadjutor Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney	1 July 1937	1 March 1945	7 years, 243 days	Died in office
3	Eris O'Brien	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	5 February 1948	16 November 1953	5 years, 284 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Canberra (and Goulburn)	[13]
4	Patrick Lyons	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	8 March 1950	11 October 1956	6 years, 217 days	Elevated to Coadjutor Bishop of Sale	[14]
5	James Patrick Carroll	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	6 January 1954	23 July 1984	30 years, 199 days	Retired as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	[15]
		Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	23 July 1984	14 January 1995	10 years, 175 days	Died in office
6	James Darcy Freeman (later Sir James Cardinal Freeman, KBE)	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	9 December 1956	18 October 1968	11 years, 314 days	Elevated to Bishop of Armidale	[7]
7	Thomas William Muldoon	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	1 March 1960	6 September 1982	22 years, 189 days	Retired as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	[16]
		Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	6 September 1982	13 January 1986	3 years, 129 days	Died in office
8	Edward Francis Kelly, MSC	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	6 February 1969	19 December 1975	6 years, 316 days	Elevated to Bishop of Toowoomba	[17]
9	Edward Bede Clancy (later Edward Cardinal Clancy, AC)	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	23 October 1973	24 November 1978	5 years, 32 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Canberra (and Goulburn)	[8]
10	David Cremin	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	25 October 1973	22 February 2005	31 years, 120 days	Retired as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	[18]
		Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	22 February 2005	present	20 years, 156 days	incumbent
11	Bede Vincent Heather	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	23 October 1973	24 November 1978	5 years, 32 days	Elevated to Bishop of Parramatta	[19]
12	John Edward Heaps	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	4 September 1981	12 March 1992	10 years, 190 days	Retired as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	[20]
		Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	12 March 1992	21 June 2004	12 years, 101 days	Died in office
13	Patrick Laurence Murphy	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	20 December 1976	8 April 1986	9 years, 109 days	Elevated to Bishop of Broken Bay	[21]
14	Geoffrey Robinson	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	23 January 1984	15 July 2004	20 years, 174 days	Retired as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	[22]
		Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Sydney	15 July 2004	29 December 2020	21 years, 13 days	Died in office
15	Peter Ingham	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	24 May 1993	8 April 1986	8 years, 13 days	Elevated to Bishop of Wollongong	[23]
16	Julian Porteous	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	16 July 2003	19 July 2013	10 years, 3 days	Elevated to Archbishop of Hobart	[24]
17	Anthony Fisher, OP	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	3 September 2003	4 March 2010	6 years, 182 days	Elevated to Bishop of Parramatta	[10]
18	Terry Brady	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	4 October 2007	10 October 2022	15 years, 6 days	Retired as Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Sydney	[25][26]
19	Peter Comensoli	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	20 April 2011	27 February 2014	2 years, 313 days	Elevated to Apostolic Administrator of Sydney	[27]
		Apostolic Administrator of Sydney	27 February 2014	20 November 2014	266 days	Elevated to Bishop of Broken Bay
20	Anthony Randazzo	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	24 August 2016	7 October 2019	3 years, 13 days	Elevated to Bishop of Broken Bay	[28]
21	Richard Umbers	Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney	24 August 2016	present	8 years, 307 days	incumbent	[29]

See also

• Catholicism portal
• New South Wales portal

• Roman Catholicism in Australia
• St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney