The Archdiocese of Malta ( Malti: ''Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta'') is a

metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

of the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

of the

Catholic Church in Malta The Archdiocese of Malta ( Malti: ''Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta'') is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Malta. History Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year 60 ...

History

Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year 60 A.D when he ordained the Roman governor,

Saint Publius Saint Publius ( mt, San Publju; grc-gre, Πούπλιος) is a first century Maltese bishop. He is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens. Publius is Malta's first acknowledged saint, the prince of t ...

, as the first bishop of Malta. The Diocese of Malta was made a suffragan diocese to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermohttp://maltahistory.eu5.net/mh/19586.html by a Papal Bull of Pope Adrian IV on 10 July 1156 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III on 26 April 1160. The former Diocese of Malta, which is one of the oldest dioceses in the world, was elevated to archdiocese on January 1, 1944. The Diocese of Malta included the islands of Malta, Gozo and

Comino Comino ( mt, Kemmuna) is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents and ...

. On September 22, 1864, the diocese lost the territories of Gozo and Comino when Pope Pius IX established the

Diocese of Gozo The Diocese of Gozo ( la, Dioecesis Goulos-Gaudisiensis) is a Latin bishopric (diocese) of the Catholic Church in Malta, and the only suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Malta, together covering the insular ...

which became a suffragan diocese to Malta.

Cathedrals

There are two

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 ...

s in the diocese: The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul, in Mdina, and the Co-Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, located in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

Important dates

*22 January (previously 21 January) - Memorial of

*5 February - Memorial of St.

Agatha of Sicily Agatha of Sicily () is a Christian saint. Her feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred . She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the ...

*10 February - Solemnity of the Shipwreck of St Paul *25 February - Memorial of

Maria Adeodata Pisani Maria Adeodata Pisani (29 December 180625 February 1855) was a Maltese nun whom Pope John Paul II venerated 24 April 2001 (decree of heroic virtues) and beatified 9 May 2001. The day after John Paul II signed and released the decree on both her ...

*9 May - Feast of St.

George Preca George Preca (in mt, Ġorġ Preca) (12 February 1880 – 26 July 1962) was a Maltese Catholic priest and the founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine as well as a Third Order Carmelite. He is known as "Dun Ġorġ" in Maltese and Pope John ...

*1 July - Memorial of Nazju Falzon *8 October - Dedication of the Metropolitan Cathedral

Flag

The flag is a bicolour consisting of yellow on left and white on the right. It is a 2:3 ratio; the same as the Maltese flag.

Suffragan

Bishops of Malta

Auxiliary Bishops of Malta

* Annetto Casolani (1848–1866) *

Michael Franciscus Buttigieg Michael Franciscus Buttigieg (3 November 1793 – 12 July 1866) was a Maltese prelate who became the first Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo, Bishop of Gozo in 1864. Buttigieg was born on November 3, 1793 in Qala, Malta, Qala, Gozo, Malta and bap ...

(1863–1864) * Salvatore Gaffiero (1899–1906) * Paolo Rosario Farrugia (1907) * Angelo Portelli (1911–1927) * Emmanuele Galea (1942–1974) * Emanuele Gerada (1967–1968) *

Joseph Mercieca Joseph Mercieca ( mt, Ġużeppi Mercieca, 11 November 1928 – 21 March 2016) was a Maltese prelate who served as the second Archbishop of Malta from 1976 to 2006. He is credited with restoring stability in the Maltese church following the dispu ...

(1974–1976) * Annetto Depasquale (1998–2011) * Charles J. Scicluna (2012–2015) * Joseph Galea-Curmi (2018–)

References

External links

*
Bishops of Malta
* {{authority control Apostolic sees Catholic Church in Malta Dioceses established in the 1st century

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...