The Archdiocese of Malta (

Malti Maltese ( mt, Malti, links=no, also ''L-Ilsien Malti'' or ''Il-Lingwa Maltija''), is a Semitic languages, Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic, late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance languages, Romance Stratum (linguistics), superstra ...

: ''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 Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

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 the ...

, as the first bishop of Malta. The Diocese of Malta was made a

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermohttp://maltahistory.eu5.net/mh/19586.html by a Papal Bull of

Pope Adrian IV Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...

on 10 July 1156 and confirmed by

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a con ...

on 26 April 1160. The former Diocese of Malta, which is one of the oldest dioceses in the world, was elevated to

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

on January 1, 1944. The Diocese of Malta included the islands of Malta,

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

and

Comino Comino ( mt, Kemmuna) is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of ...

. On September 22, 1864, the diocese lost the territories of Gozo and Comino when

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

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 denomination ...

s in the diocese: The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul, in

Mdina Mdina ( mt, L-Imdina ; phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤈, Maleṭ; grc, Μελίττη, Melite (ancient city), Melíttē; ar, مدينة, Madīnah; ), also known by its Italian-language titles ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdin ...

, and the Co-Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, located in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

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 Mas ...

*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 Nazju Falzon (1 July 1813 – 1 July 1865) was a Maltese cleric and a professed member from the Secular Franciscan Order. He did not become an ordained priest because he did not feel he was adequate enough for such an honor. He became an apt cate ...

*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 Salvatore Gaffiero (8 March 1828 - 8 December 1906) was a Maltese prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Malta from 1899 until his death in 1906. Early days Gaffiero was born in Senglea, Malta to Salvatore Gaffiero and Concetta Cachia. At th ...

(1899–1906) * Paolo Rosario Farrugia (1907) * Angelo Portelli (1911–1927) * Emmanuele Galea (1942–1974) *

Emanuele Gerada Emanuele Gerada KC*HS (18 May 1920 – 21 January 2011) was a Maltese prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, a Vatican diplomat and titular Archbishop of Nomentum. One Maltese obituary recalled him as "a generous, well-read and intelligent man. ...

(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 Charles Jude Scicluna (born 15 May 1959) is a Canadian-Maltese prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been the Archbishop of Malta since 2015. He held positions in the Roman Curia from 1995 to 2012, when he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop o ...

(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 ...