Vatican names Filipino priest auxiliary bishop of Perth

The Vatican has appointed a Filipino priest as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Perth, one of the largest archdioceses in Australia, assigning him the titular see of Agunto.

Pope Leo XIV named Nelson Po, 57, as auxiliary bishop of Perth. Po has served as parish priest of St. Benedict’s Church in Applecross since 2016. He will serve alongside Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe and Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton.

The appointment was announced in a bulletin issued by the Holy See Press Office on 2 February 2026.

Po was born on 5 June 1968 in Palompon, Leyte. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Leyte Institute of Technology in Tacloban, now Eastern Visayas State University, where he was known as a student leader and editor in chief of the student publication The Industrial Wheel.

After completing his degree, Po pursued philosophy studies at Ateneo de Davao University and later completed his theological studies at the Maryhill School of Theology.

The Archdiocese of Perth serves a significant Filipino community. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that 30,806 people in Greater Perth were born in the Philippines, making Filipinos one of the city’s largest overseas-born groups.

Po was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Perth on 9 December 2005. His previous assignments include parochial vicar in Kalgoorlie from 2006 to 2008, chaplain at Royal Perth Hospital from 2008 to 2010, and parish priest of Cloverdale from 2010 to 2016. He has served at St. Benedict’s Church in Applecross since 2016.

The Vatican said Po’s background in parish ministry and hospital chaplaincy is expected to strengthen pastoral leadership in the Archdiocese of Perth.

Speaking to the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, Po said his appointment came as a surprise.

“It was a big surprise to me. It was overwhelming and surreal because I have never dreamed of becoming a bishop," he said.

"I went straight to the chapel and became very emotional. I felt so inadequate and unworthy, but I know that God’s strength will carry me through,” he added.