Sydney Catholicism has an unusual concentration of episcopal Anthonys. There’s Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, Broken Bay Bishop Anthony Randazzo, and Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay.
A bold cover headline on the front page of The Catholic Weekly settled the matter after Fr Anthony Gerard Percy was ordained a bishop on 2 May—“Sydney Welcomes Bishop Tony Percy.”
But “Bishop Tony” fits. The 62-year-old bishop is an approachable, fast-talking, knowledgeable, exuberant communicator who was welcomed by Sydney’s jaded journalists. Immediately after the election of Leo XIV, he was interviewed by 2GB’s Mark Levy and asked to profile the new pope.
“I think his background is incredible. United States, and then Peru; dual citizenship; working in the missions; speaks fluent English, fluent French, fluent Spanish,” Bishop Percy responded. “He’s just what we need, just what we need.”
Will there ever be an Australian pope, Levy asked. Not lost for words, Bishop Percy responded: “Well, everyone said we’d never see an American Pope … who knows?”
“How good’s this guy?” Levy commented. “So, mate, you’re a hit with our listeners. You’re welcome anytime.”
The last month has been a whirlwind of activity for the new bishop. Pope Francis died on 21 April, he was ordained on 2 May, and Pope Leo was elected on 8 May. He also had to attend the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and attend the ordination of Bishop Peter Murphy in Armidale.
“It’s been delightful to see a lot of people showing you a lot of love and affection, almost to the point of exhaustion,” Bishop Percy told The Catholic Weekly.
From a media perspective, a soft interview like 2GB’s was a welcome start but not necessarily a portent for the future. When he was vicar-general of the Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese, then-Fr Percy tangled with the media and politicians over the ACT government’s decision to take over Calvary Hospital.
Despite his vigorous protests on YouTube and elsewhere, the government bulldozed opponents of the controversial move.
Does Bishop Percy have any tips on handling the media?
“I think the most important point is you’ve got to know what you’re talking about, really know what you’re talking about,” he said. And then “you’ve got to be able to express it in a way that is very easy to digest.” And third, “you got to make sure that people know that this decision is going to affect them in one way or another.”
For about three years, he has been creating a Substack blog with weekly messages about the Sunday liturgy. It’s called “The Scaffolding Newsletter”—200-word bite-sized chunks of prayerful commentary and encouragement. With the help of his phone and a tripod, he also posts a five-minute YouTube version filmed wherever he happens to be at the moment—in a park, or a paddock, or a church.
He says that the weekly blog and podcast are aimed at people who are trying to bring their friends back to the faith. He wants them to say: “Why don’t you try this? This will be very helpful. It’s an immediately accessible thing for them to connect with faith and different issues.”
Coming up on his agenda in September in Rome is what is jocularly termed the “baby bishops course”. Six Australian bishops will be attending.
Organised by the Dicastery for Bishops, it equips newly appointed bishops with the tools they will need for their ministry. It includes spiritual reflection, workshops, and meetings with Vatican officials, and culminates with an audience with Pope Leo XIV.
Does ordination as a bishop change things? Yes and no, says Bishop Percy. “I’ve just got to be myself. But it’s different. It’s an interesting sort of thing as because as a priest you’re always in a parish relating to people left, right, and centre, hatch, match, dispatch … Now, as a bishop, you’re sort of operating on a different level.”