Diocese Of Barcelona

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barcelona is a Latin rite Catholic metropolitan archbishopric in northeastern Spain's Catalonia region.

The cathedral archiepiscopal see is a Minor basilica: Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia, Barcelona. The archbishopric has nine more Minor basilicas : ...

The current Archbishop of Barcelona is Juan José Omella Omella, appointed by Pope Francis on 6 November 2015.

Province

The ecclesiastical province of Barcelona includes the Metropolitan's own archbishopric and the following suffragan sees :
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Sant Feliu de Llobregat
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Terrassa.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 2,116,479 Catholics (79.7% of 2,657,000 total) on 340 km² in 214 parishes and 153 missions with 826 priests (396 diocesan, 430 religious), 46 deacons, 3,092 lay religious (639 brothers, 2,453 sisters) and 19 seminarians.

History

While local tradition and catalogues date back the first bishop, San Eteri, considered a disciple of Saint James the Great, to the very first Apostles, historical evidence seems to be undisputed from the third century onwards, when bishop Pretextat attended the Council of Sardica in 343. During the Visigothic Kingdom, Barcelona became one of the fourteen dioceses of the ecclesiastic province of Tarragona.

Circa 450 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of Egara, which it regained circa 700 at the suppression of that Diocese of Egara

After the Christian fall in 712, a long ''sede vacante'' was ended not before 850, when bishop Joan took office, and the diocese became subjugated to the Carolingian See of Narbonne.

During the Reconquista, bishop Oleguer was called to the archepiscopal see of Tarragona, which he took in 1017, though being granted to keep his Barcelonan see as well, reigning 1114–1137. Barcelona became suffragan to Tarragona once again, and stayed so for the following centuries.
* In 1237 it lost Balearic territory to establish the Diocese of Mallorca

Its bishops got used to live in the pontifical or royal courts instead of the city, until bishop Jaume Caçador inducted reforms according to the Council of Trent amidst the 16th century. Disregarding another year-lasting de facto sede vacante from 1808 to 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars, Barcelona and its diocese kept on growing richer and more powerful.
* On 25 March 1964 Pope Paul VI elevated the Diocese to the level of non-Metropolitan Archdiocese of Barcelona.
* However, it has only had the status of a Metropolitan Archdiocese since 2004, when Pope John Paul II dismembered its territory into the Archdiocese of Barcelona and the two new suffraganes of Sant Feliu de Llobregat and Terrassa together with the appointment of Archbishop Sistach.

* It enjoyed Papal visits from Pope John Paul II in February 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI in November 2010.

Episcopal Ordinaries

Suffragan Bishopric

;''Earliest bishops according to local tradition''
The ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' states that “The See of Barcelona, unlike most very ancient sees, whose origins are obscure, has preserved catalogues of its bishops from Apostolic times, and although all the names given cannot be admitted as authentic, the greater number are handed down in all the catalogues.” The list includes:Episcopologi
/ref>

*Eterius (San Eteri) (considered a disciple of Saint James the Great, 37 AD)
*Saint Theodosius (San Teodosi) (94 AD)
*Aulus Victor (Aulo Víctor) (139 AD)
*Actius
*Theolycus (Teolicus)
*Alexander I (Alexandre I)
*Lucius (Luci)
*Totxa
*Deodatus I (Deodat I)
*Theodoric (Teodoric)
*Deodatus II (Deodat II)
*Peneguardus (Peneguardo)
*Pusio
*Alexander II (Alexandre II)
*Albert
*Armengald
*Gandimar
*William (Guillem)
* St. Severus ('' Sever'') (c. 290–304). A native of the city, martyr of the Diocletian persecution.

;''Early Suffragan bishops (for whom documentation exists)

*Praetextatus (Pretextat) (c. 347), the first recorded bishop, who attended a council at Sardica in 347.
*St. Pacianus (''Sant Pacià'') (360–390) (mentioned in Jerome's ''De Viris Illustribus'')
*Lampius (''Lampi, Lampio'') (393–400)
*Sigesari (c. 415)
*Nundinari (c. 450–463)
*Ireneus (Ireneu) (c. 463–465)
*Berengari
*Agrici (after 516)
* St. Nebridius (Nebridi) (c. 540)
*Paternus (Patern) (c. 546)
*Ugno (c. 589–599)
*Emila (c. 610–633)
*Severus II (Sever II) (c. 633–636)
*Oia (c. 636–638)
* Quiricus (Quirze) (c. 640–666), later bishop of Toledo
*Idalaci (c. 667–689)
*Laülf (c. 689–702)

;'' Medieval Period''

*John (Joan) (around 850)
*Ataulfus (Ataülf) (c. 850–860)
*Frodoí (c. 861–890)
*Theodoric (Teodoric) (c. 904–937)
*Guilara (c. 937–959)
*Pere (c. 962–973)
*Vives (974–995)
*Aeci (995–1010)
*Deusdat (1010–1029)
*Guadall Domnuç (1029–1035)
*Guislabert (1035–1062)
*Berenguer (1062–1069)
*Humbert (Umbert) (1069–1085)
*Bertram (Bertran) (1086–1096)
*Fulk II of Cardona (Folc II de Cardona) (1096–1099)
*Berenguer Bernat (1100–1106)
*Ramon Guillem (1107–1114)
*St. Olegarius (Sant Oleguer) (1114–1137)
*Arnau Ermengol (1137–1143)
*Guillem de Torroja (1144–1171)
*Bernat de Berga (1172–1188)
*Ramon de Castellvell (1189–1199)
*Berenguer de Palou I (1200–1206)
*Pere de Cirac (1208–1211)

In the twelfth century the diocese was restored by Ramon Berenguer, Count of Barcelona.

*Berenguer de Palou II (1212–1241)
*Pere de Centelles (1241–1252)
* Arnau de Gurb (Arnoldo de Guerbo) (1252–1284)
*Guerau de Gualba (1284–1285)
*Bernat Pelegrí (1288–1300)
*Pontius de Gualba (Ponç de Gualba) (1303–1334)
*Ferrer d'Abella (1335–1344)
* Bernat Oliver (1345–1346)
*Miguel de Ricomá (1346–1361)
*Guillem de Torrelles (1361–1369)
*Berenguer d’Erill (1369–1371)
*Pere de Planelles
*Ramon d’Escales (1386–1398)
*Joan Armengol (1389–1408)
*Francesc de Blanes (1409–1410)
*Francesc Climent (Sapera)
*Andreu Bertrán (1416–1420; 1431–1433)
*Simó Salvador (1433–1445)
*Jaume Girard (1445–1456)
*Juan Soler (1456–1463)
*Fra Juan Jiménez Cerdá (1465–1472)
*Rodrigo Borgia (Rodrigo de Borja) (1472–1478)
*Gonzalo Fernández de Heredia (1478–1490)
*Pedro García (1490–1505)Catholic Hierarchy: "Bishop Pedro Garcia"
retrieved January 30, 2016

;''Suffragan Bishops of Barcelona since 1505
* Enrique de Cardona y Enríquez (18 Apr 1505 – 23 Jan 1512 Appointed, Archbishop of Monreale