In February, Pope Francis appointed a new archbishop to oversee the largest community of Catholics in Canada. The Archdiocese of Toronto includes more than 200 parishes and around two million people. Toronto's metropolitan Catholic community is extremely diverse as well. People can attend mass in and around Toronto in 30 different languages. Picking a leader for this archdiocese could not have been easy, but Pope Francis was firm in his choice of former vicar general of Montreal, Francis (Frank) Leo, who has an interesting background and has dedicated his life to the church.

Early Life and Background

Archbishop Frank Leo is the son of Italian immigrants who moved to Canada before he was born. Leo speaks Italian, English, French, and Spanish. He seems to have always had an interest in serving the Catholic Church because he chose to study theology as an undergraduate and became an ordained priest in 1996 when he was just 25 years old. He has also lived and worked overseas, including in Australia and Hong Kong.

The new archbishop has a unique background for such an appointee. He served for some time in the Vatican diplomatic corps. Working diplomats at the Vatican generally remain committed to that sector of the Catholic Church for their entire lives, but Archbishop Frank Leo actually left his position with the diplomatic corps to move back to Montreal and serve the community there, where he originally became a priest.

Spiritual and Academic Interests

Archbishop Leo has studied Mariology and even has a doctorate in the subject. Mariology is a type of theological study that focuses on the Virgin Mary and the dogmas and doctrines related to her as a central figure in the Catholic religion. He is the founder of the Mariological Society in Canada, which he started in 2015.

With extensive experience as a teacher, Archbishop Leo brings his academic interests and skills to his service to the Church. He has taught courses in international studies and canon law and even taught while living in Australia.

Speedy Rise to Prominence

Some people might look at Archbishop Frank Leo's appointment as a rather speedy rise to prominence among Canadian bishops. Pope Francis has made it apparent that he has little time for following convention or playing by the same rules as his predecessors. The Pope is more concerned with picking people to lead who he believes will do the job well. He has shown interest in individuals who have served the Church in various capacities, which is something that he also saw in Archbishop Frank Leo. 

Leo served as the general secretary for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops for six years before returning to his Montreal roots once again in 2021. The Pope expressed in an interview how he was impressed with the unity shown by the bishops in Canada and how they came together to respond to the call from indigenous communities to recognize the Catholic Church's history of atrocities in Canada. 

Before the Pope appointed Frank Leo to the position of Archbishop of Toronto, the former monseigneur had only looked over Montreal as the auxiliary bishop for less than a year. However, Pope Francis must see important qualities in Frank Leo that he believes will help the 51-year-old serve the Toronto community in the way it deserves. While there's no documentation to lean on, it seems reasonable to believe that Pope Francis feels confident in Archbishop Leo's diverse background experiences and sees him as a competent and well-rounded priest with sound leadership skills.

Even Archbishop Frank Leo seemed surprised by his appointment to Toronto, but he has stated that he is more than ready for the challenge. The Toronto Catholic community has Montreal to thank for their new archbishop.