The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kikwit ( la, Kikuiten(sis)) is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

located in the city of

Kikwit Kikwit is the largest city of Kwilu Province, lying on the Kwilu River in the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kikwit is also known in the region under the nickname "The Mother". The population is approximately 458,000 ( ...

in the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

History

* Established in 1893 as

Mission sui iuris A mission ''sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rankin ...

of Kwango (or Koango), on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville * Promoted on 31 January 1903 as

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Kwango * Promoted on 28 March 1928 to Apostolic Vicariate of Kwango, hence entitled to a

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 an ...

* Lost territory repeatedly: to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Kisantu on 1931.04.01, and on 1935.01.28 more territory to the same; on 1937.04.13 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Ipamu and more on 1939.04.25 to the same * Renamed on 21 February 1955 as Apostolic Vicariate of Kikwit * Lost territory on 1957.07.05 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Kenge * Promoted on 10 November 1959 as Diocese of Kikwit

Bishops

(all

Roman rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

, mostly missionary members of Latin congregations)

Ordinaries

; ''Ecclesiastical superiors of the mission sui iuris of Kwango (Koango) (not available -- 1893-1903) ; ''Apostolic Prefects of Kwango'' * Julien Banckaert (1903 – 1911) * Stanislas de Vos,

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

(S.J.) (1911 – 1928) ; ''Apostolic Vicars'' of Kwango * Silvain van Hee, S.J. (1928.03.28 – 1936.02.20),

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 an ...

of Possala (1928.03.28 – 1960.03.26) * Enrico van Schingen, S.J. (1936.12.17 – 1954.07.02), Titular Bishop of

Phelbes Belbeis ( ar, بلبيس ; Bohairic cop, Ⲫⲉⲗⲃⲉⲥ/Ⲫⲉⲗⲃⲏⲥ ' is an ancient fortress city on the eastern edge of the southern Nile delta in Egypt, the site of the Ancient city and former bishopric of Phelbes and a Lat ...

(1936.12.17 – 1954.07.02) ; Apostolic Vicar ''of Kikwit *

André Lefèbvre André Lefèbvre (19 August 1894 – 4 May 1964) was a French automobile engineer. André René Lefèbvre was born in Louvres, Val-d'Oise, Louvres, France (North of Paris, Val-d'Oise, Val d'Oise). He began his career as an aviation engineer wor ...

, S.J. (1955.02.25 – 1959.11.10 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of

Raphanea Raphanea or Raphaneae ( grc, Ῥαφάνεια; ar, الرفنية, al-Rafaniyya; colloquial: ''Rafniye'') was a city of the late Roman province of Syria Secunda. Its bishopric was a suffragan of Apamea. History Josephus mentions Raphanea ...

(1955.02.25 – 1959.11.10) ; ''Bishops'' of Kikwit * André Lefèbvre, S.J. (''see above'' 1959.11.10 – 1967.11.29), later Titular Bishop of

Thucca Terebenthina Thucca Terebenthina is a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church, in Tunisia. The cathedra of the diocese was in a now lost Roman town located in the Roman province of Byzacena and Africa proconsularis in what is today the Sahel region of Northe ...

(1967.11.29 – 1976.09.15) * Alexander Mbuka-Nzundu (1967.11.29 – 1985.10.14), previously Titular Bishop of Cataquas & Auxiliary Bishop of Kikwit (1961.06.24 – 1967.11.29) * Édouard Mununu Kasiala,

Trappists The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

(O.C.S.O.) (1986.03.10 - 2016.11.19), 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 ...

Popokabaka Popokabaka is a city in the Kwango Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the administrative center of Popokabaka Territory. Popokabaka lies on the right bank of the river Kwango River. Francis Dhanis, an agent of the Congo Free State, ...

(Congo-Kinshasa) (1991 – 1996.04.22); previously Titular Bishop of Aquæ Flaviæ & Auxiliary Bishop of Kikwit (1984.11.08 – 1986.03.10) * Timothée Bodika Mansiyai, P.S.S. (2016.11.19 - )

Coadjutor vicars apostolic

* Charles Dauvin, S.J. (1948), died without being consecrated * Joseph Guffens, S.J. (1949-1954)

Auxiliary bishops

* Alexander Mbuka-Nzundu (1961-1967), appointed Bishop here * Edouard Mununu Kasiala, O.C.S.O. (1984-1986), appointed Bishop here

Sources and external links