The

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Archdiocese of Port Moresby is a Latin

Metropolitan Archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, yet remains dependent on the missionary

Propaganda Fide Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

Roman Congregation. Its archiepiscopal seat is St. Mary's Cathedral, in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, National Capital District.

History

* Established on 10 May 1889 as Apostolic Vicariate of New Guinea on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Melanesia. * Renamed on 1922.11.14 as Apostolic Vicariate of Papua * Renamed on 1946.06.13 as Apostolic Vicariate of Port Moresby, having lost territory to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Samarai (now suffragan diocese Alotau-Sideia) * Lost territory on 1958.11.13 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Mendi * Lost territories on 1959.07.16 to establish the

Apostolic Vicariate of Yule Island Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

and the

Apostolic Prefecture of Daru The Roman Catholic Diocese of Daru-Kiunga is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port Moresby. It was erected Prefecture Apostolic in 1959 and elevated to a diocese in 1966. The authors of the diocesan coat of arms are Slo ...

(now suffragan Diocese of Daru-Kiunga) * Promoted on 1966.11.15 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Port Moresby * It enjoyed papal visits from

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 ...

in May 1984.05 and January 1995.

Bishops

Ordinaries

(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 di ...

, so far missionary members of Latin congregations) ;''Apostolic Vicars of New Guinea'' * Louis-André Navarre, Sacred Heart Missionaries (M.S.C.) (1889.05.10 – 1908.01),

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Pentacomia (1887.05.17 – 1888.08.17) ; died 1912.01.16 *

Alain-Marie Guynot de Boismenu Alain Marie Guynot de Boismenu (27 December 1870 – 5 November 1953) was a French Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Vicar Apostolic of Papua from 1908 until his retirement in 1945; he was a professed member of the Missionaries of the Sacr ...

, M.S.C. (1908.01 – 1922.11.14 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Gabala (1899.05.23 – 1945.01.18), succeeded as former Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of New Guinea (1899.05.23 – 1908.01) ;''Apostolic Vicar Papua'' * Alain Guynot de Boismenu, M.S.C. (''see above'' 1922.11.14 – retired 1946), later

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Claudiopolis in Honoriade (1945.01.18 – death 1953.11.05) ;''Apostolic Vicars Port Moresby'' * André Sorin, M.S.C. (1946.06.13 – death 1959.04.19), Titular Bishop of Antiphræ (1946.06.13 – 1959.04.19); previously

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 adm ...

of Samarai (Papua New Guinea) (1946.06.13 – 1951.05.18) *

Virgil Patrick Copas Archbishop Sir Virgil Patrick Copas (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1993) was archbishop of Kerema and Port Moresby, both in Papua New Guinea. Biography Copas was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, and was educated at St. Mary's College and Downland ...

, M.S.C. (1959.12.19 – 1966.11.15 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Bennefa (1959.12.19 – 1966.11.15) ;''Metropolitan Archbishops of Port Moresby'' * Virgil Patrick Copas, M.S.C. (''see above'' 1966.11.15 – retired 1975.12.19), also Apostolic Administrator of suffragan see

Bereina Bereina is a town in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the Hiritano Highway about north-west of Port Moresby, and contains the headquarters of both the Kairuku-Hiri District and the Kairuku Rural local-level government ...

(Papua New Guinea) (1973 – 1976.03.01); later

Archbishop-Bishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

Kerema Kerema is the capital of Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. It is located on the coast of Gulf of Papua. The Gulf region is aptly named for its concave coastline with large deltas. The Gulf area is a riparian region where many rivers from the south ...

(Papua New Guinea) (1976.05.24 – retired 1988.12.06); died 1993.10.03 * Herman To Paivu (1975.12.19 – death 1981.02.12), former Titular Bishop of Temuniana (1974.07.01 – 1975.12.19) & Auxiliary Bishop of Port Moresby (1974.07.01 – 1975.12.19) * Peter Kurongku (1981.10.03 – death 1996.06.11); previously Titular Bishop of Sinnuara (1978.11.15 – 1981.10.03) & Auxiliary Bishop of

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and li ...

(Solomon Islands) (1978.11.15 – 1981.10.03) * Brian James Barnes, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (14 June 1997 – 26 March 2008), previously Bishop of

Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the ...

(Papua New Guinea) (1987.10.03 – 1997.06.14), President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (1993 – 1994); died 2017.05.09 * Sir

John Ribat John Ribat (born 9 February 1957) is a Papua New Guinean prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and a cardinal since 2016. He has been Archbishop of Port Moresby since 2008. Biography Ribat was born in Volavolo, Papua New Guinea. He professed ...

, KBE, M.S.C. (26 March 2008 - ...), also Cardinal (19 November 2016 - ...), President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (2011.05 – 2014.05), President of Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania (2014.05 – ...); previously Titular Bishop of Macriana minor (2000.10.30 – 2002.02.12) & Auxiliary Bishop of

(Papua New Guinea) (2000.10.30 – 2002.02.12), succeeded as Bishop of Bereina (2002.02.12 – 2007.04.16), then

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coa ...

of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) (2007.04.16 – 2008.03.26)

Coadjutor bishops

* Stanislas Henri Verjus, M.S.C. (1889-1892), as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; did not succeed to see * Alain Guynot de Boismenu, M.S.C. (1899-1908), as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic *

, M.S.C. (2007-2008); future Cardinal

Auxiliary bishops

* Louis Vangeke, M.S.C. (1970-1976), appointed Bishop of Bereina * Herman To Paivu (1974-1975), appointed Archbishop here * Cherubim Alfred Dambui (2000-2010)

Province

Its

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

comprises the Metropolitan's own archdiocese and the following suffragan dioceses : * Roman Catholic Diocese of Alotau-Sideia *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Bereina The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bereina is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port Moresby. It was erected Vicariate Apostolic in 1959 and elevated to a diocese in 1966. Bishops Ordinaries * Eugène Klein, M.S.C. (1960–197 ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of Daru-Kiunga The Roman Catholic Diocese of Daru-Kiunga is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port Moresby. It was erected Prefecture Apostolic in 1959 and elevated to a diocese in 1966. The authors of the diocesan coat of arms are Slo ...

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Kerema.

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic with incumbent biography links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Moresby, Archdiocese Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Port Moresby