Matters India Reporter
Melbourne, November 9, 2025 — Renowned Australian biblical scholar and Salesian priest, Prof. Francis Moloney, passed away peacefully in his home city of Melbourne on 8 November 2025, at the age of 85—bringing to a close a life of remarkable fidelity, scholarship, and pastoral love.
Born in 1940, Fr Moloney joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1970. His academic journey was both distinguished and global. He studied theology and Scripture at the Salesian Pontifical University Rome and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, and later earned his doctorate from the University of Oxford. His teaching ministry spanned Europe, Israel, the United States, Southeast Asia, and Australia, always animated by his deep conviction that “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
Fr Moloney was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the International Theological Commission in 1984, serving for 18 years and contributing to the Church’s theological engagement with Scripture. In 1992, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to religion, and in 1994, he became the Foundation Professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University. From 2006 to 2011, he served as Provincial Superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Australia, leading the province with pastoral warmth, intellectual depth, and a renewed emphasis on youth ministry and biblical formation.
A world-renowned Johannine scholar, Fr Moloney authored more than 50 books and countless articles on the Gospels of John and Mark, and the Book of Revelation. His commentaries—such as The Gospel of John: Text and Context, Belief in the Word, and The Living Voice of the Gospel—are considered foundational texts in contemporary biblical studies. His final academic posting was as Senior Professorial Fellow at the Catholic Theological College in Melbourne, part of the University of Divinity.
In recent years, Fr Moloney reached thousands through his weekly podcast Audio Divina, offering Sunday Scripture reflections rooted in scholarly insight and pastoral warmth. The podcast became a cherished resource for clergy, catechists, and lay faithful across the globe, exemplifying his lifelong mission to make the Word of God accessible, alive, and transformative.
Salesian Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, paid tribute to Fr Moloney’s gift for friendship and his enduring love for the young: “He loved sincerely and generously and was deeply loved and admired in return.”
“Having spent his life making the Christ of the Gospels known, may Fr Moloney now enter into the fullness of eternal life and behold the Lord whom he served so well, face to face,” said the archbishop.