Christopher Prowse

Christopher Charles Prowse (born 14 November 1953) is an Australian Catholic prelate. He is the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn; appointed to the post in 2013. He is also the Apostolic Administrator of the Australian Catholic Military Ordinariate.

Prowse served as the director of the Catholic Pastoral Formation Centre (1997−2001) and from 1999 was the media spokesman. He has been co-chair of the Australian Anglican and Roman Catholic Dialogue, and a member of the executive committee of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences in Oceania. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree (Monash University 1978), a Bachelor of Theology degree (Melbourne College of Divinity 1979), a Licentiate in Moral Theology (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, 1987) and a Doctorate in Moral Theology (Pontifical Lateran University - Alfonsianum Academy, Rome, 1995).

Early life and career Christopher Charles Prowse was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, on 14 November 1953. From 2007 until 2009 he had pastoral responsibility for the Western Region of Melbourne and Geelong. In 2007 he became the Episcopal Vicar for Justice and Social Services, and in 2008 for health. He was appointed to committees organising Days in the Diocese Melbourne and World Youth Day Sydney.

Prowse was appointed as the Bishop of Sale by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 June 2009.

On 12 September 2013, Pope Francis appointed Prowse as Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn. He was installed on 19 November 2013 at St Christopher's Cathedral, Canberra. His appointment followed a period of 16 months during which the post was vacant after the previous archbishop, Mark Coleridge, was appointed as the Archbishop of Brisbane.

On 12 September 2016, Prowse was named as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Wagga Wagga following the retirement of Gerard Hanna. On 26 May 2020, Pope Francis announced Mark Stuart Edwards would become the sixth Bishop of Wagga Wagga, with Prowse continuing as apostolic administrator until Edwards' installation on 22 July 2020.

Within the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, Prowse is a member of the Permanent Committee and chairman of the Commission on Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations; he is a member of the Commission for Relations with Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.