The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul is a Latin Rite Metropolitan Archdiocese in Papua New Guinea. It has its cathedral episcopal see Sacred Heart Cathedral in Vunapope and a Co-Cathedral, St Francis Xavier's Co-Cathedral, in

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

. On June 19, 2020, Rochus Josef Tatamai, M.S.C. was appointed the new Archbishop.

History

In 1844, it was established as Apostolic Vicariate of Melanesia (a pre-diocesan jurisdiction, entitled to a titular bishop and exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See) on territory split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Oceania. On 8 December 1890, it was renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of

New Pomerania New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Da ...

. It lost territories repeatedly, to establish : * on 1896.02.24 the Apostolic Prefecture of Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land * on 1897.06.28 the Apostolic Vicariate of Gilbert Islands * on 1897.07.27 the Apostolic Prefecture of British Solomons * on 1898.05.23 the

Apostolic Prefecture of German Solomon Islands The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Solomon Islands was an exempt Roman Catholic Apostolic vicariate (missionary jurisdiction akin to a diocese) in the Northern Solomon Islands (in Oceania). History On 23 May 1898, it was established as Aposto ...

(now its suffragan diocese Bougainville) * in 1905 the Mission sui juris of Marshall Islands. On 14 November 1922, it was renamed after its see as Apostolic Vicariate of Rabaul. On 5 July 1957, it lost territory again to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Kavieng (now its

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

diocese). On 15 November 1966, it was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Rabaul. On 4 July 2003, it lost territory to establish another

see, the Diocese of Kimbe.

Coat of arms

The new coat of arms of the Archdiocese was adopted in 2016. The proposal of coat of arms created Marek Sobola, a heraldic specialist from Slovakia, who also made a coat of arms for the Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B. Marek Sobola - official site
Archdiocese of Rabaul

Province

Its ecclesiastical province comprises, besides the Metropolitan's Archdiocese, the following

bishoprics : * Roman Catholic Diocese of Bougainville * Roman Catholic Diocese of Kavieng *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimbe The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimbe is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Rabaul. It was erected in 2003. Coat of arms The new coat of arms of the Diocese was adopted in 2016. The proposal of coat of arms created Marek Sobola, a heraldi ...

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 ...

; so far missionary members of Latin congregations)

Ordinaries

; ''Apostolic Vicars of Melanesia'' * Jean Baptiste Epalle, Marists (S.M.) (1844.07.19 – death 1845.12.19), Titular Bishop of

Sion Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Plac ...

(1844.07.19 – 1845.12.19) * Jean Georges Collomb, S.M. (1846.02.19 – death 1848.07.16), Titular Bishop of

Antiphellus Antiphellus or Antiphellos ( grc, ) was city that acted as the port of Phellus (Phellos) in Lycia. It was at the head of a bay on the south coast. Sir Francis Beaufort, the discoverer of this ancient site, gave the contemporary name of Vathy to ...

(1846.02.19 – 1848.07.16) * Father Paolo Reina, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions M.E.M. (1852.01.11 – death 1861.03.14) *

Louis-André Navarre Louis-André Navarre (3 February 1836 - 16 January 1912) was a French Catholic priest active in the Pacific. A member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, he served as Vicar Apostolic of New Guinea from 1889 to 1908. He was also the Archbisho ...

Sacred Heart Missionaries The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; la, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis; french: Missionnaires du Sacré-Coeur) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (182 ...

(M.S.C.) (1887.05.17 – 1889.05.10), Titular Bishop of Pentacomia (1887.05.17 – 1888.08.17); later Titular Archbishop of Cyrrhus (1888.08.17 – 1912.01.17), Apostolic Vicar of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea) (1889.05.10 – retired 1908.01) ; ''Apostolic Vicars of New Britain'' * Stanislas Henri Verjus, M.S.C. (1889.05.10 – 1889.12.28), Titular Bishop of Limyra (1889.05.10 – 1892.11.13), later Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea) (1889.12.28 – 1892.11.13) * Louis Couppé, M.S.C. (1889.12.28 – 1890.12.08 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Lerus (1889.12.28 – 1925.12.18) ; ''Apostolic Vicar of new Pomerania'' * Louis Couppé, M.S.C. (''see above'' 1890.12.08 – 1922.11.14 ''see below'') ; ''Apostolic Vicars of Rabaul'' * Louis Couppé, M.S.C. (''see below'' 1922.11.14 – retired 1923), on emeritate promoted as Titular

Archbishop of Hierapolis Manbij ( ar, مَنْبِج, Manbiǧ, ku, مەنبج, Minbic, tr, Münbiç, Menbic, or Menbiç) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, 30 kilometers (19 mi) west of the Euphrates. In the 2004 census by the Cent ...

(1925.12.18 – 1926.07.20) * Gerard Vesters (Gerardo Vesters), M.S.C. (1923.02.16 – 1938), Titular Bishop of Diocletianopolis in Palæstina (1923.02.16 – death 1954.08.30); previously Prefect Apostolic of Celebes (Indonesia) (1919.12 – 1923.02.16) * Leo Isidore Scharmach, M.S.C. (1939.06.13 – 1963), Titular Bishop of

Mostene Mostene (Μοστήνη), also called Mosteni or Mostenoi (Μοστηνοί), or Mostina (Μόστινα), or Mustene or Moustene (Μουστήνη), is a Roman and Byzantine era city in the Hyrcanian plain of ancient Lydia. The town minted its ow ...

(1939.06.13 – 1964.11.26) * Johannes Höhne, M.S.C. (1963.03.01 – 1966.11.15 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Urima (1963.03.01 – 1966.11.15) ; ''Metropolitan Archbishops of Rabaul'' * Johannes Höhne, M.S.C. (1966.11.15 – death 1978.05.27) * Albert-Leo Bundervoet, M.S.C. (1980.03.06 – 1989.03.29) *

Karl Hesse Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

, M.S.C. (1990.07.07 – 2011.08.11), also President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (1994 – 1996), Apostolic Administrator ''sede plena'' of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) (1995 – 1996.09.12), again Apostolic Administrator of Bougainville (1996.09.12 – 1999.04.19), President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (2002 – 2005); previously Titular Bishop of Naratcata (1978.04.27 – 1980.10.24) & Auxiliary Bishop of Rabaul (1978.04.27 – 1980.10.24), Bishop of Kavieng (Papua New Guinea) (1980.10.24 – 1990.07.07) * Francesco Panfilo, Salesians (S.D.B.) (2011.08.11 – 2020.06.19), previously Bishop of Alotau–Sideia (Papua New Guinea) (2001.06.25 – 2010.03.18), President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (2008.04 – 2011.05), Coadjutor Archbishop of Rabaul (2010.03.18 – 2011.08.11)

Coadjutor archbishop

* Francesco Panfilo, S.D.B. (2010-2011)

Auxiliary bishops

, M.S.C. (1978-1980), appointed Bishop of Kavieng (later returned here as Archbishop) * George To Bata (1978-1995) *

Patrick Taval Patrick Taval (May 4, 1956 – April 29, 2013) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Kerema, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State ...

, M.S.C. (1999-2007), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Kerema *

Alphonse Liguori Chaupa Alphonse Liguori Chaupa (27 July 1959 – 21 March 2016) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1987, Chaupa was named auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea ...

(2000-2003), appointed Bishop of Kimbe * John Doaninoel, S.M. (2007-2011), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Herman To Paivu, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Port Moresby in 1974 *

Benedict To Varpin Benedict To Varpin (24 July 1936 – 8 September 2020) was a Papua New Guinean Roman Catholic archbishop. To Varpin was born in Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), offici ...

, appointed Bishop of Bereina in 1979 *Francis Meli, appointed Bishop of Vanimo in 2018

References

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic, with incumbent biography links
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