The Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Berenicensis) is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

ecclesiastical territory or apostolic vicariate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

. It is immediately

exempt Exemption may refer to: * Tax exemption, which allows a certain amount of income or other value to be legally excluded to avoid or reduce taxation * Exemption (Catholic canon law), an exemption in the Roman Catholic Church, that is the whole or ...

to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, Benghazi Cathedral, is in the city of

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and '' Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Gha ...

History

* February 3, 1927: Established as the Apostolic Vicariate of

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

, on territory split from the Apostolic Vicariate of Libya. * On June 22, 1939, renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi; lost territory to the newly established Apostolic Vicariate of Derna.

Episcopal ordinaries

So far all missionary members of the

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the te ...

(O.F.M.) ; Apostolic Vicars of Cirenaica *

Bernardino Vitale Bigi Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin, which can refer to: Given name *Bernardino Baldi (1533–1617), Italian mathematician and writer *Bernardino Bertolotti (born 1547), Italian composer and instrumentalist * Bernard ...

, O.F.M.,

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Anthedon (January 27, 1927 – April 19, 1930); also

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

(Somalia) (1930.03 – 1930.04.19) * Candido Domenico Moro, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of Uzita (July 14, 1931 – June 22, 1939 ''see below'') ; Apostolic Vicars of Benghazi *

Candido Domenico Moro Candido is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Candido Amantini (1914–1992), Italian Roman Catholic priest * Candido Camero Candido is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the nam ...

, O.F.M. (''see above'' June 22, 1939 – 1950) * Ernesto Aurelio Ghiglione, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of Gauriana (July 5, 1951 – June 8, 1964) * Giustino Giulio Pastorino, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of Babra (January 11, 1965 – March 10, 1997) *

Sylvester Carmel Magro Sylvester Carmel Magro (14 February 1941 – 20 January 2018) was a Maltese bishop who served as the Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi, Apostolic Vicar of Benghazi in Libya from 1997 until 2016. Magro was born in Rabat, Malta, on 14 February 1941. I ...

, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of Saldæ (March 10, 1997 – February 14, 2016) ;Apostolic Administrators * George Bugeja, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of San Leone, Vicar Apostolic of Tripoli (February 14, 2016 – December 8, 2019) * (Father) Sandro Overend Rigillo, O.F.M. (December 8, 2019 -)

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links

Roman Catholic dioceses in Libya Christian organizations established in 1927 Apostolic vicariates Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Benghazi 1927 establishments in Libya {{Africa-RC-diocese-stub