The Apostolic Vicariate of the Comoros Archipelago is a tiny Latin apostolic vicariate (missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction) of the Roman Catholic Church in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

between insular

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

and continental Africa, comprising the

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

and

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loca ...

, with a church in each. The see is at

Moroni, Comoros Moroni ( ar, موروني, ''Mūrūnī'') is the largest city, federal capital, and seat of the government of the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean. Moroni means "at the river" (''mroni'' in Shingazidja). ...

Grande Comore Grande Comore () is an island in Comoros off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which is ...

island. It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province.

History

On 5 June 1975, the Holy See established an

Apostolic Administration 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 ...

on the present territory, which was split from the Diocese of Ambanja (on

), whose former last apostolic vicar and then first bishop was appointed to the new missionary post. On 1 May 2010, it was promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of the Comoros.

Incumbent Ordinaries

To date, all incumbents have been missionary members of three Latin congregations: ; ''Apostolic Administrators of Comoros'' * Léon-Adolphe Messmer,

Capuchins Capuchin can refer to: *Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from t ...

(O.F.M. Cap.) (1975.06.05 – 1980.05.02), formerly bishop of Ambanja * Friar Jean Berchmans Eugène Jung, O.F.M. Cap. (1980.05.02 – 1983) * ''

Pro-administrator A pro-administrator is a priest who fills an ''ad interim'' vacancy at a clerical post in the Catholic church whose ordinary is styled administrator, notably a 'stable' apostolic administration. However apostolic administrator An Apostolic admi ...

Friar Jean Péault,

Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons de ...

(M.E.P.) (1988–1991; see below)'' * ''Pro-administrator Friar Gabriel Franco Nicolai, O.F.M. Cap. (1991–1997)'' * ''Pro-administrator Friar Jean Péault, M.E.P. (see above; 1988–1991)'' * Father Jan Szpilka,

Salvatorians The Society of the Divine Saviour ( la, Societas Divini Salvatoris), abbreviated SDS and also known as the Salvatorians, is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church. The members of the congrega ...

(S.D.S.) (1998.04.01 – 2006.06.06) * Father Jan Geerits, S.D.S. (2006.06.06 – 2010.05.01) ; ''Apostolic Vicars'' of Comoros * Charles Mahuza Yava, S.D.S.

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 ...

Apisa Maius Apisa Maius is a former Roman- Berber city and present Latin Catholic titular bishopric. History Apisa Maius was an Ancient city in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. It was a bishopric, suffragan to the Metropolitan of Carthage. Its ...

(2010.05.01 – ...)

References

External links

Giga Catholic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comoros Archipelago, Apostolic Vicariate Christian organizations established in 1975 Apostolic vicariates Roman Catholic dioceses in Africa Catholic Church in the Comoros Catholic Church in Mayotte Mamoudzou