A Melbourne bishop has emerged as a dark horse among the candidates to be appointed the next Archbishop of Perth, reports the West Australian.
While the odds-on favourite
is the Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, Don Sproxton, Melbourne's Auxiliary
Bishop Timothy Costelloe is being seen as a possible contender with many
of the right credentials, the paper reports.
Though not a West Australian, Bishop Costelloe, 57, spent some time
as parish priest at Victoria Park, taught theology at Notre Dame
University at Fremantle and is well regarded by the current archbishop,
Barry Hickey.
Bishop Sproxton, 58, is favoured by Perth clergy and has wide
pastoral experience.
A former chaplain to Royal Perth Hospital and
Trinity and Mercedes colleges, he spent several years in parishes
successfully building his pastoral skills and would be a popular choice.
Others considered in the news report include the Bishop of Bunbury,
Gerard Holohan, 63, and Parramatta's Bishop Anthony Fisher, 51.
It adds
that Geraldton's Bishop Justin Bianchini, 70, and the Dean of Perth's
newly refurbished St Mary's Cathedral, Mgr Michael Keating, 71, are both
out of contention because of their age.