Leo Clarke | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Maitland | |
| Diocese | Maitland |
| Appointed | 10 April 1976 |
| Term ended | 3 November 1995 |
| Predecessor | John Toohey |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 24 July 1949 by Daniel Mannix |
| Consecration | 2 June 1976 by James Darcy Freeman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leo Morris Clarke 29 August 1923 |
| Died | 3 June 2006 (aged 82) |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Leo Morris Clarke (29 August 1923 – 3 June 2006) was an Australian bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maitland in New South Wales from 1976 to 1995.
Following the death of Bishop John Toohey in September 1975, Clarke was ordained the sixth bishop of the diocese in June 1976 after 27 years in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, where he served as a priest and the Master of Ceremonies at St Patrick's Cathedral under Archbishop Daniel Mannix.[1]
As bishop, Clarke was instrumental in implementing a program of renewal the diocesan community. He initiated the synod of 1992–93, a sustained consultation process involving clergy and laity coming to grips with the issues raised by the Second Vatican Council. His major rationalisation of Newcastle's Catholic secondary schools was controversial at the time and caused him enormous pain.
His successor, Bishop Michael Malone, told the Hunter Commission of Inquiry that when Clarke handed over the office to him, he slid a large ornamental cross across the desk and pointed to a "rather large briefcase that sat in the corner of his office".[2] Malone asked Clarke if he was going to show him "where the skeletons are, where the secret things are?" but Clarke merely responded "Ah you will find out soon enough."
After his resignation in 1996, he became Bishop Emeritus of Maitland-Newcastle.