New secretary arrives at Australia’s Apostolic Nunciature

A Canadian priest, Fr Frank Leo, has been appointed as secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Australia.

Fr Leo, who is 37, arrived at the Nunciature in Canberra in mid-October and has taken up his duties assisting the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto.

Fr Leo was born in Montreal, Quebec and was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Montreal on December 14, 1996.

He took up parish ministry in 1996 as Assistant Priest and served as a Parish Priest from 2003 to 2006.

From 2006 to 2008, Fr Leo studied Canon Law and a Licentiate in Philosophy at St John Lateran Pontifical University, Rome. He also holds a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the University of Dayton (Ohio), in the USA.

Fr Leo was Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Grand Seminaire de Montreal from 2003 to 2006 and a religion teacher and chaplain at College Reine-Marie, Montreal from 2003 to 2005.

This is Fr Leo’s first appointment in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

He is proficient in speaking English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Fr Frank Leo