The Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan (Lat: ''Dioecesis Multanensis'') 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 ...

of the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

of the

Roman 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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The diocese is located in the southern

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

in a central part of Pakistan. The total population of the diocese is about 7.5 million, out of which Christians are about 200,000. The diocese of Multan covers an area of 100,705 km² and comprises the following civil boundaries. In the

Multan Division Multan Division is an administrative division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but the division system was restored again in 2008. Districts It consists of the following districts: Histo ...

, the districts of

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

Vehari Vehari also spelled Vihari (), is a city and the headquarters of Vehari District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 62nd largest city. Vehari is about from the historical city of Multan. Vehari is located at the Multan-Delhi ...

Khanewal Khanewal () is a city and the capital of Khanewal District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 36th largest city of Pakistan by population. Khanewal is named after the earliest settlers here who belonged to the caste ‘Daha’ (A Sub ...

and

Lodhran Lodhran ( ur, ), is a city and the capital of Lodhran District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 81st largest city. It is located on the northern side of River Sutlej The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the ...

. In the

Bahawalpur Division Bahawalpur Division () is an administrative division of the Punjab Province, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but division system was restored again in 2008. Districts It contains the following districts: * ...

, the districts of

Bahawalnagar Bahawalnagar ( Punjabi, ur, ), is the capital city of Bahawalnagar District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Bahawalnagar is the headquarter of the district and tehsil as well.

and

Rahim Yar Khan Rahim Yar Khan () is a city in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 9th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District and Rahim Yar Khan Tehsil. The administration of the city is subdivided into nin ...

. In the

Dera Ghazi Khan Division Dera Ghazi Khan Division is an administrative division of the Punjab Province, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but division system was restored again in 2008. Districts It contains the following districts: * ...

the districts of

Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan (), abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population. Lying west of the Indus River, it is the headquarters of Dera Ghazi Khan District and ...

Muzaffargarh Muzaffargarh (Urdu and pa, , , Fort of Muzaffar) is a city in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the Chenab River, it is the capital of the district with the same name. It is the 39th largest city of Pakistan by populatio ...

Layyah Layyah ( Saraiki and ur, ), previously spelled as Leiah, is a city in the Pakistan.Rajanpur Rajanpur ( ur, ), is a city and the headquarters of Rajanpur District in the far southwestern part of Punjab, Pakistan. The district lies entirely west of the Indus River. it is a narrow, to wide strip of land sandwiched between the Indus Riv ...

. In 1936 some adjacent districts of Multan and the State of Bahawalpur were detached from

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

to form the prefecture Apostolic of Multan. In 1939 this area was detached from Lahore to become a separate diocese. In 1960 the diocese was divided and Bishop Cialeo moved to

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

as the first bishop of the newly erected diocese of Faisalabad. Bishop Louis Scheerer was appointed the second bishop of Multan. In 1966 Bishop Louis Scheerer died and Bertrand Boland became the Bishop of Multan diocese. In 1984 Bishop Boland retired and handed over to his auxiliary Bishop

Patras Yusaf Patras Yusaf was the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan from 1984 until his death in 1998. Yusaf was born in Francisabad, Pakistan on 29 July 1936. He received his religious training at the Christ the King Seminary (Pakistan) and was o ...

. The diocese is a suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Lahore The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lahore is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese in Punjab province, Pakistan. Its episcopal seat is the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore. History In 1594 the Mughal emperor Akbar invited some Cath ...

. The Cathedral of the Holy Redeemer is the main church of the Diocese. The diocese is also home to the

Pastoral Institute of Multan The Pastoral Institute of Multan, Pakistan, is aimed at aiding the local church grow into a church of witness and mission. The objective is to aid the lay person to witness to Gospel values, be formative in the faith and an agent of change. Estab ...

which serves the Church at a national level. On 3 October 1989, Pope John Paul II sent congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the diocese. The diocese had 10 parishes with about 50,000 Catholics at the time. By June 2008 this had grown to 18 parishes. On 17 September 1998,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Father Raymond Saeed apostolic administrator for the Diocese. On 10 January 2000, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Fr.

Andrew Francis Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, ''Hero 108'' as Lin Chung, ''Lam ...

from the Archdiocese of Lahore as the new bishop. On 29 October 2001 four gunmen entered

St. Dominic's Church, Bahawalpur St. Dominic's Church, Bahawalpur is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan in Pakistan. History The church of St. Dominic was built in 1962. The parish is also home to a convent, St. Dominic's Middle School for boys and the Dominican Convent S ...

in the Diocese and shot and killed 15 worshippers and a police guard. On 29 April 2010

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

elevated the

Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta The Apostolic Vicariate of Quetta ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Quettensis), originally the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta, is a Latin Church missionary territory or apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in Pakistan. It comprises the civil pr ...

to the rank of apostolic vicariate. He appointed Fr.

Victor Gnanapragasam Father Victor Gnanapragasam O.M.I. (21 November 1940 – 12 December 2020) was the first prefect of the Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. Early life and education He was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka to Sri Lankan Tamil ...

as apostolic vicar of the new ecclesiastical circumscription and the titular bishop of Timida. Fr. Victor was parish priest at Khanewal in the Multan Diocese from 1979 to 1985. On 13 June 2014

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted the resignation of Bishop Andrew Francis, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, and appointed Rev. Benny Mario Travas, of the clergy of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi The Archdiocese of Karachi is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in India. It was erected on 20 May 1948 under as a then-suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese ...

(

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

) as

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 ...

Sede Vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the same Diocese. On 29 May 2015, Pope Francis appointed Travas Bishop of Multan. He received his episcopal consecration on 15 August 2015 from Archbishop

Ghaleb Moussa Abdalla Bader Ghaleb Moussa Abdalla Bader (Arabic: غالب موسى عبد الله بدر; born 22 July 1951) is a Jordanian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic and apostolic delegate to Puerto Rico. ...

, Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan. On 11 February 2021, Pope Francis appointed Travas to succeed

Joseph Coutts Joseph Coutts (born 21 July 1945) is a Pakistani prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Karachi from 2012 to 2021. He served as Bishop of Faisalabad from 1998 to 2012. Pope Francis created Coutts a cardinal on 28 June ...

as Archbishop of Karachi. On December 9, 2022,

appointed Fr. Yousaf Sohan as Bishop of Multan.

Marian shrine

The diocese administers the shrine of Mary, Queen of Thal, built on the pattern of the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1988.

Ordinaries

* Francesco Benedetto Cialeo, O.P. (15 January 1937 appointed – 13 April 1960 appointed, Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lyallpur The Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad (Lat: ''Dioecesis Faisalabadensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan. History Erected in 1960, as the Diocese of Lyallpur, the diocese was created from the Dio ...

, in Lyallpur, Pakistan) * Aloysius Louis Scheerer, O.P. (13 April 1960 appointed – 27 January 1966 died) * Ernest Bertrand Boland, O.P. (17 May 1966 appointed – 20 October 1984 resigned) *

(20 October 1984 appointed – 29 December 1998 died) *

(3 December 1999 appointed – 13 June 2014 resigned) *

Benny Mario Travas Benny Mario Travas is a Pakistani prelate of the Catholic Church and Archbishop of Karachi, Pakistan. He served as Bishop of Multan from 2015-2021. Biography Travas was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on 21 November 1966. He received his early educa ...

(15 August 2015 – 11 February 2021) * Yousaf Sohan (appointed 9 December 2022) Agenzia Fides, December 9, 2022
/ref>

Schools

St Albans High School, Multan La Salle Higher Secondary School St Mary's Higher Secondary School Sacred Heart Girls High School Dominican Convent Bahawalpur Dominican Study Center Bahawalpur St. Joseph's High School Saeed Colony Multan St. Joseph's High School Bishop’s House Multan St. Anthony's High School Louis Colony Multan St. Peter's Primary School Gulzeb Colony Vehari Road, Multan St. Joseph's High School Civil Lines, Khanewal St. Vincent's High School Chak 133/16-L District. Khanewal St. John Primary School Chak # 120/T.D.A. District. Layyah Dar-ul-Tarbiat (Ibn-e-Mariam) High School Chak # 270/T.D.A. Loretto, District. Layyah St. Joseph's High School Chak # 75/B Tehsil Karore District. Layyah Mission High School Chak # 270/T.D.A. Loretto District. Layyah Holy Cross High School Church Road, Rahimyar Khan St. Dominic High School Model Town-A Bahawalpur St. Joseph's High School, Yousaf Town, Bahawalpur St. Joseph's Convent High School Chak 133/16-L District. Khanewal St. Raphael's Primary School Christian Colony, Muzaffargarh St. Jude's High School Chak # 5/4-L Rungpur District. Muzaffargarh St. Joseph's Middle School Chak # 11/W.B. Catholic Church Vehari St. Michael's English Medium High School (Regd) # 571/T.D.A Chowk Munda, Derekabad St. Mary's Middle School Chak # 587/T.D.A Derekabad Good Shepherd Convent School, Naqasband Colony Rasheedabad, Multan Dominican's Primary School, Razabad Colony, Multan

References

{{authority control

Christian organizations established in 1936 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Lahore

Marian shrine

Ordinaries

Schools

See also

References