The Episcopal Conference of the Pacific ( la, Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici) (CEPAC) is the episcopal conference of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

that includes the bishops of several islands in

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

. The CEPAC is a member of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania, FCBCO.

Member dioceses of CEPAC

Ecclesiastical Province of Agaña

Archdiocese of Agaña 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 ...

(

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

) * Diocese of Chalan Kanoa (

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...

) *

Diocese of Caroline Islands The Catholic Diocese of Caroline Islands ( la, Diœcesis Carolinensium) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Federated States of Micronesia and in the Republic of Palau. It is a suffragan diocese of the Ecclesia ...

(

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

and

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...

) *

Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands The Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands ( la, Praefectura Apostolica Insularum Marshallensium) is a Latin rite apostolic prefecture (pre-diocesan missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, below aposto ...

(

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

)

Ecclesiastical Province of Nouméa

* Archdiocese of Nouméa (

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

) * Diocese of Port-Vila (

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

) * Diocese of Wallis et Futuna (

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (; french: Wallis-et-Futuna or ', Fakauvea and Fakafutuna: '), is a French island collectivity in the South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji ...

)

Ecclesiastical Province of Papeete

Archdiocese of Papeete The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Papeetensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Papeete'') is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in French Polynesia. It is responsible for the suffragan diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata. ...

(

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

) * Diocese of Taiohae or Tefenuaenata (

)

Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia

* Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia (

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

) * Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago (

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

) * Mission ''Sui Iuris'' of Tokelau ( Tokelau)

Ecclesiastical Province of Suva

* Archdiocese of Suva (

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

) * Diocese of Rarotonga (

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

) * Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru (

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

and

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

) * Mission ''Sui Iuris'' of Funafuti (

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

)

Immediately Subject to the Holy See

* Diocese of Tonga (

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

and

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

)

Presidents of CEPAC

George Hamilton Pearce George Hamilton Pearce (January 9, 1921 – August 30, 2015) was the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Apia, Samoa, and the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva, Fiji.

, Archbishop of

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

(1970-1971) # Pierre-Paul-Émile Martin, Archbishop of Nouméa (1971-1978) #

Patelisio Punou-Ki-Hihifo Finau Patelisio Punou-Ki-Hihifo Finau (15 March 1934 – 4 October 1993) was the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Tonga born in Tonga. He was also, from 1978 to 1982, president of CEPAC. See also *Roman Catholicism in Tonga The Catholic Church i ...

, Bishop of

(1978-1982) #

Petero Mataca Petero Mataca (28 April 1933 – 30 June 2014) born at Cawaci, on Ovalau Island, served as the Roman Catholic archbishop of Suva, Fiji until his resignation in 2012. Biography After his education at St. John's College, Cawaci, he was o ...

, Archbishop of

(1982-1987) # Francis Roland-Lambert, Bishop of

Port-Vila Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the Efate, island of Efate. Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an incre ...

(1987-1991) # Anthony Sablan Apuron, Archbishop of Agaña (1991-1996) # Michel-Marie Calvet, Archbishop of Nouméa (1996-2003) # Anthony Sablan Apuron, Archbishop of Agaña (2003-2010) #

Soane Patita Paini Mafi Soane Patita Paini Mafi () (born 19 December 1961) is the fourth Roman Catholic Bishop of Tonga. At the age of 53, on 14 February 2015, he was appointed by Pope Francis as the first ever cardinal from Tonga and he became on that date the younge ...

, Cardinal Bishop of

(2010–present) #

Peter Loy Chong Peter Loy Chong (born 30 January 1961 in Namata, Fiji, Tailevu) is the third Catholic Archbishop of Suva, Fiji (having been consecrated bishop on 8 June 2013). He worked on his doctorate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California ...

, Archbishop of Suva (2018-present)

Seminary

* Pacific Regional Seminary, created in 1970 and opened in 1972

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Catholic Church in Pacific (Oceania)
{{sup, {{small, 'self-published''}
GCatholic: Conferentia Episcopalis Pacificae
Pacific + Catholic Church in Oceania