Archbishop Adrian L. Doyle
Biography
Adrian Leo Doyle was born on November 16, 1936, Hobart, son of the late Gertrude (nee O'Donnell) and Leo Doyle and brother to Moya (Mrs Hickey, Brisbane) and Brian (Melbourne).
He was educated at St Mary's College, Hobart; Sacred Heart College, New Town; St Virgil's College, Hobart, before starting studies for the priesthood on March 1, 1955, at Corpus Christi College, Werribee, Vic.He transferred to Collegio Propaganda Fide, Rome, in September 1956, and was ordained priest on December 20, 1961, in Rome, by Cardinal Gregory Peter Agagianian, with the then Fr Eric D'Arcy as his sponsor. He completed a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Gregorian University, Rome, in June 1965 and returned to Tasmania later that year. His appointments have included responsibility for the Marriage Tribunal 1966 - 98; Judge on the Appeal Tribunal; President of the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand, 1991 - 94; assistant priest at Invermay, Bellerive and St Mary's Cathedral; and parish priest, at Sandy Bay-Taroona, 1974 - 1990.
He was chaplain to the Italian community in Hobart from 1973 until his episcopal ordination. He was the Director of Renew, 1990 - 92; Dean of the southern region, 1982 - 1989; Chancellor of the Archdiocese, 1988 -1996; Vicar General, 1996 - 98.
On February 6, 1998, he was ordained a Bishop to become Coadjutor Archbishop of Hobart. On July 26, 1999, he became Archbishop of Hobart when Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Archbishop Eric D'Arcy.
His installation as the 10th Archbishop of Hobart was on August 26, 1999, in St Mary's Cathedral.
In addition to his Episcopal responsibilities within the Archdiocese of Hobart, Archbishop Doyle also fulfils a number of key roles as a member of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC).
In 2006 he was re-elected as a member of the Permanent Committee of the ACBC (formerly known as the Central Commission of the ACBC) and as Chairman of the Bishop’s Commission for Caritas.
In previous years Archbishop Doyle has been Chairman of the ACBC Bishops Committee for Social Welfare, Chairman of the National Committee of Caritas Australia and Chairman of the Board of Management, Pastoral Research Projects of the ACBC. He also has been a Member of the ACBC Bishops Committee for Justice Development and Peace.
In 2005 he was one of two representatives of the ACBC at the Synod of Bishops held in Rome. Archbishop Doyle has also represented the ACBC at regional gatherings of Bishops in South Korea and Fiji.
Along with the Bishops of the Province of Melbourne, Archbishop Doyle is a Trustee of Corpus Christi College, the Seminary for Victoria and Tasmania. As Archbishop of Hobart, he also has led delegations of young Tasmanians attending World Youth Day celebrations in Toronto and Cologne.
"A bishop is gifted to guide and defend the Church with a strength and prudence as a father and pastor, with gratuitous love for all and a preferential love for the poor, the sick and the needy. This grace (of the Holy Spirit) impels him to proclaim the Gospel to all, to be the model for the flock (and) identifying himself in the Eucharist with Christ the priest and victim." (CCC 1586)
