The Catholic Church in the Gambia and Sierra Leone, two Anglophone (ex-British)
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
n countries, is composed solely of a Latin hierarchy, comprising :
* one
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 ...
, covering all and only
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
,
comprising the Metropolitan of capital Freetown and three
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...
s.
* an exempt diocese (directly dependent on the Holy See) for all the
Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
, with see in its capital Banjul.
There are no Eastern Catholic or pre-diocesan jurisdictions or overlapping ordinariates.
Neither country has a national
Episcopal Conference
An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...
, but they form a joint one for the Gambia and Sierra Leone, which hosts it in
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
.
There are no titular sees. All defunct jurisdictions are precursors of present sees.
There formally is an
Apostolic Nunciature (embassy-level papal diplomatic representation) to Sierra Leone and an Apostolic Nunciature to The Gambia, but both are vested in the Apostolic Nunciature to
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
(in its capital
Monrovia
Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...
).
Current Latin dioceses
[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/country/SL.htm GCatholic.org - Senegal]
In The Gambia
* Exempt
Roman Catholic Diocese of Banjul
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Banjul ( la, Baniulen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Banjul in the Gambia.
History
* January 18, 1848: Father Ronarc'h and Father Warlop, Holy Ghost Fathers, arrive in Banjul
* January 18, 1849: Ronarc'h ...
In Sierra Leone : Ecclesiastical Province of Freetown
* Metropolitan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freetown
The Archdiocese of Freetown (''Archidioecesis Liberae Urbis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone. Its episcopal see is the city of Freetown, the capital and most populous city of the Afri ...
**
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kenema
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kenema ( la, Kenemaën(sis)) is a diocese Catholic Church in the Ecclesiastical province of Freetown in Sierra Leone. The region that the Diocese comprises are the border from Bo District to the west, the Republic of ...
**
Roman Catholic Diocese of Makeni
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Makeni ( la, Makenen(sis)) is a diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of Freetown in Sierra Leone. The Cathedral is the Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral in Makeni.
In 2012 a majority of priests in the diocese disagreed ...
**
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bo
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bo was created in January 2011, split off from the Archdiocese of Freetown. There are about 50,000 Roman Catholics under the jurisdiction of the diocese. Its first and present bishop is Charles Allieu Matthew Campb ...
.
See also
*
List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)
As of October 5, 2021, the Catholic Church in its entirety comprises 3,171 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, including over 652 archdioceses and 2,248 dioceses, as well as apostolic vicariates, apostolic exarchates, apostolic administrations, apost ...
*
Catholic Church in the Gambia
The Catholic Church in the Gambia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Diocese of Banjul covers the whole of the country.
History
The history of the Catholic Church in the Gambia is ...
*
Catholic Church in Sierra Leone
The Catholic Church in Sierra Leone is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
There are approximately 800,000 Catholics in Sierra Leone - around 14% of the total population. The country is di ...
References
{{RefList
Sources and external links
GCatholic - Episcopal conference
*
*
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...