The Diocese of Tonga (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Dioecesis Tongana'') is a

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 ...

ecclesiastical territory or

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

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 ...

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 ...

. It was erected as part of the Vicariate Apostolic of Central Oceania in 1842, had subsequent name changes in 1937 and 1957 before being elevated to the Diocese of Tonga on June 21, 1966. Its

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

is found in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception ( Tongan: ''Malia Tupu 'Imākulata'') in the capital Nuku'alofa. It is immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

and not part of an

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 ...

. On 4 January 2015,

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. ...

announced that he would make Tonga's bishop,

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 ...

, a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

on 14 February of that year.

History

Along with the rest of the country, in the early Twenty-First Century the tiny Catholic community of some 15,000 has been considered threatened with the loss of its home due to

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

Bishops

Ordinaries

Pierre Bataillon Pierre Bataillon (born in 1810 in Saint-Cyr-les-Vignes) was a French clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga The Diocese of Tonga (Latin: ''Dioecesis Tongana'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of th ...

, S. M. (1842–1863) *

Aloys Elloy Aloys Elloy (born in 1829 in Servigny-les-Raville) was a French clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga The Diocese of Tonga (Latin: ''Dioecesis Tongana'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catho ...

, S. M. (1872–1878) *

Jean-Amand Lamaze Jean-Amand Lamaze (1833 - 9 September 1906) was a French clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga The Diocese of Tonga (Latin: ''Dioecesis Tongana'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Chur ...

, S. M. (1879–1906) *

Armand Olier Armand Olier (1851 - 17 September 1911) was a French clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga. He was in Marzials and appointed bishop in 1903. He died in 1911 in Moafaga, Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of ...

, S. M. (1906–1911) *

Joseph-Félix Blanc Joseph-Félix Blanc (1872 - June 1962) was a French clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga. He was born in Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the ...

, S. M. (1912–1952) * John Hubert Macey Rodgers, S.M. (1953–1972), appointed Titular Bishop of Caput Cilla *

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 Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country ...

, S. M. (1972–1993) *

Soane Lilo Foliaki Soane Lilo Foliaki (18 April 1933 − 24 December 2013) was the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga. Education Soane was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream. He graduated the University of Hull, and achi ...

, S. M. (1994–2008) *

(2008– ), elevated to Cardinal in 2015

Coadjutor bishops

*, S.M. (1842-1847), as Coadjutor vicar apostolic; did not succeed to see; appointed Vicar Apostolic of Melanesia (in fact Nouvelle-Calédonie, New Caledonia), Pacific (Oceania) *

, S.M. (1863-1877), as Coadjutor vicar apostolic *

, S.M. (1903-1906), as Coadjutor vicar apostolic *

, S.M. (1971-1972) *

(2007-2008); future Cardinal

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was designed by

Marek Sobola Marek Sobola (born 3 July 1981) is an authorised landscape architect, professional gardener and heraldic artist from Slovakia. Biography Sobola was born in Žilina, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) into a family from Lalinok and Divina. He spe ...

, a heraldic artist from

Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...

(

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

), who also made the diocesan seal and flag. These are based on the Tonga flag and a

Fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

, symbol of the Immaculate Conception in Christian iconography. The coat of arms was adopted officially on September 21, 2017.

History

Bishops

Ordinaries

Coadjutor bishops

Coat of arms

References

External links

See also