The archbishop of Toronto is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province that encompasses Southern Ontario and part of Northwestern Ontario in Canada, the archbishop also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines, and Thunder Bay. The current archbishop is Frank Leo.
The archdiocese began as the Diocese of Toronto, which was created on December 17, 1841. Michael Power was appointed its first bishop, and under his reign the construction of St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica in Toronto commenced, with Power himself laying the cornerstone of the new church. On March 18, 1870, the diocese was elevated to the status of archdiocese by Pope Pius IX while the First Vatican Council was in session. John Joseph Lynch became the first archbishop of the newly-formed metropolitan see, and received the pallium during his sojourn in Rome to attend the council.
Ten men have been Archbishop of Toronto; another two were the bishop of its predecessor diocese. Five archbishops – James McGuigan, Gerald Emmett Carter, Aloysius Ambrozic, Thomas Collins, and Leo – were elevated to the College of Cardinals. Power, the first ordinary of the archdiocese, was also the first English-speaking bishop to be born in Canada. Denis O'Connor, whose episcopacy spanned from 1899 to 1908, was the first archbishop born in Ontario. When McGuigan was raised to cardinal in 1946, he became the first anglophone cardinal from Canada, as well as the first cardinal from the archdiocese. He also had the longest tenure as Archbishop of Toronto, serving for 36 years from 1934 to 1971, while Fergus McEvay held the position for three years (1908–1911), marking the shortest archiepiscopacy.
List of ordinaries
+KeyDenotes archbishop who was elevated to the College of CardinalsCMCongregation of the MissionCSBCongregation of St. BasilPSSSociety of the Priests of Saint Sulpice
Bishops of Toronto FromUntilIncumbentNotesRef(s)18411847Appointed on December 17, 1841. First English-speaking bishop to be born in Canada. Died on October 1, 1847.18491849Appointed February 14, 1849, appointment declined by Larkin and did not take effect18501860, Appointed on March 15, 1850. Resigned on April 29, 1860, and returned to France. Died on March 29, 1891.18601870, Coadjutor bishop from 1859 to 1860.
Archbishops of Toronto FromUntilIncumbentNotesRef(s)18701888, Became the first Archbishop of Toronto on March 18, 1870. Died on May 12, 1888.18891898Appointed on August 13, 1889. Died on July 30, 1898.18991908, Appointed on January 7, 1899. Resigned on May 4, 1908. Died on June 30, 1911.19081911Appointed on April 13, 1908. Died on May 10, 1911.19121934Appointed on April 10, 1912. Died on May 25, 1934.19341971Appointed on December 22, 1934. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 1946. Retired on March 30, 1971, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on April 8, 1974.19711978Coadjutor archbishop from 1961 to 1971. Resigned on April 27, 1978. Died on September 6, 198419781990Appointed on April 27, 1978. Elevated to cardinal on June 30, 1979. Retired on March 17, 1990, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on April 6, 2003.19902006Auxiliary bishop from 1976 to 1986. Coadjutor archbishop from 1986 to 1990. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 1998. Retired on December 16, 2006, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on August 26, 2011.20072023Appointed on December 16, 2006. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 2012. Retired on February 11, 2023, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.2023presentAppointed on February 11, 2023. Elevated to cardinal on December 7, 2024.
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