On 1 April, Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Daniel Meagher as Bishop of Rockhampton, Australia.
He had been an auxiliary bishop in Sydney since 2021, holding senior governance roles, including that of vicar general.
He enjoys working with the homeless and "being close to people on the margins".
Former lawyer – knows words and laws
Born in 1961 and trained in economics and civil law, he worked as a lawyer.
He then studied theology in Sydney and at the Gregorian University in Rome, before being ordained as a priest in 1995. Pope Francis appointed him a bishop in 2021.
Participating in and Praising Pagan Ritual
Monsignor Meagher took part on May 31, 2023 oin the launch of the so-called 'Reconciliation Action Plan' (RAP). This is a programme used in Australia to promote reconciliation with indigenous peoples.
At the launch, a pagan smoking ceremony was led by a man of the Anēwan and Kamilaroi peoples.
According to CatholicWeekly.com.au, Bishop Daniel Meagher explained that "purification rites" were common to all the world's major religions, and that indigenous Australians had found smoke to be suitable.
He added, that the pagan smoking ceremony is a "culturally appropriate" form of "expressing our need for redemption".
Respect LGBT+ people!
On 23 August 2024, he spoke to CatholicWeekly.com.au about a deceptive 'study' concerning the risks faced by " transgender, gender fluid, non-binary" persons.
Having worked among Sydney’s “marginalised communities”, he said he had been aware of similar “findings” for some time. Homosexual ("gender diverse") people "face many challenges in life": "I hope we can find room in our hearts for compassion, respect, and love. We are all children of God, hoping to find happiness and meaning in our lives".
On 19 September 2024, the homosexual activist site NewWaysMinistry.org commented that Bishop Meagher's "unusually welcoming" words would be "notable from any Catholic bishop". However: "They are particularly positive in Sydney, however, as a counter to the archdiocese’s LGBTQ+-negative leader, Archbishop Anthony Fisher."
Liturgy "full of guitars and clapping"
On 21 May 2025, Bishop Meagher ordained two deacons of the Neocatechumenal Way at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.
According to CatholicWeekly.com.au, the liturgy was "vibrant" and "full of distinctive hymns, guitars and clapping".
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