Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins is a conservative-leaning Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto who has held numerous leadership positions in the Church.

Born on January 16, 1947, in Guelph, Ontario, Collins was raised in a Catholic family, where his father worked as the circulation manager of the Guelph Mercury newspaper and his mother as a legal secretary. Collins’ journey in the Church began early, as he served morning Mass at The Church of Our Lady in his hometown.

Collins pursued higher education with enthusiasm, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Jerome College in Waterloo in 1969. He continued his academic pursuits, earning a Master of Arts in English from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Theology from St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario, both in 1973. His ordination to the priesthood took place on May 5, 1973, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton.

Furthering his studies, Collins specialized in Sacred Scripture, focusing on the Book of Revelation. He received a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Bible Institute in 1978 and a Doctorate in Theology from the Gregorian University in 1986. His doctoral dissertation was titled “Apocalypse 22:6–21 as the Focal Point of Moral Teaching and Exhortation in the Apocalypse.”

Collins’ episcopal journey began on March 25, 1997, when he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta. He was consecrated as a bishop on May 14, 1997, and became the Bishop of Saint Paul on June 30, 1997. His career progressed rapidly, and on February 18, 1999, he was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton, becoming the Archbishop of Edmonton on September 13, 1999.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Collins as the tenth Archbishop of Toronto in 2007. During his tenure, Collins served as Chancellor of the University of St. Michael’s College and the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto.

Benedict elevated him to cardinal February 18, 2012, when he became the fourth Cardinal in the history of the Archdiocese of Toronto and the sixteenth in Canadian history.

Throughout his career, Collins has held numerous important positions. He has been a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops since 1997 and served as President of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario from 2008. He has also been a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and participated in the 2010 Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East.

Collins has served the global church in various capacities, including as an Apostolic Visitor in Ireland and as the Delegate of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for Anglicanorum Coetibus. He participated in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.

In 2020, Cardinal Collins drew headlines when he wrote a scathing letter to the head of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) after three of its trustees interrupted and prevented a delegate from reading a passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding homosexuality during a board meeting. Collins described the trustees’ actions as “reprehensible” and questioned their ability to fulfill their “sacred mission.”

In 2018, Cardinal Collins spoke out against an “ideology test” for government funding, which would require faith-based and charitable organizations, as well as small business, to say they believe in abortion and other controversial issues.

In 2015, Cardinal Collins joined 12 other cardinals in sending a letter to Pope Francis expressing serious concerns about the Synod on the Family, in particular about its working document and procedures which many believed to have been manipulated towards reaching a pre-set result.

On February 11, 2023, Pope Francis accepted Collins’ resignation as Archbishop of Toronto, which he had submitted upon reaching the age of 75. However, Collins remains a cardinal and is eligible to vote in a papal conclave until he turns 80 in January 2027.