The Catholic Church in Tajikistan is part of the worldwide
Catholic Church in
Tajikistan (
West Turkistan,
Central Asia), under the spiritual leadership of the
Pope in
Rome. In 2009, the size of the community was estimated at 300 people.
This
Mission sui iuris (pre-diocesan jurisdiction, also known as Independent Mission) for the Catholics is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See (not part of any
ecclesiastical province), and comprises three churches (in the Tajik capital
Dushanbe, and
Vakhsh near
Bokhtar), but no see.
History
In modern times the Catholic Church obtained a presence in Tajikistan through
Soviet deportations
From 1930 to 1952, the Government of the Soviet Union, government of the Soviet Union, on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin under the direction of the NKVD official Lavrentiy Beria, forced transfer, forcibly transferred populations of ...
, and in 1974, churches were opened in Dushanbe (
St Joseph Church, Dushanbe
St Joseph Church (russian: Церковь Святого Иосифа в Душанбе) is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church located near Dushanbe International Airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Masses in the church for the small Catholic com ...
) and
Qurghonteppa
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, image_skyline = Бохтар 2018.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, image_caption = Bokhtar in 2018
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Tajikistan
, pushpin_label_position =bott ...
.
Most of the early Catholics were Germans of Russian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian origin.
Many Catholics fled the
1990s civil war following the Soviet Union collapse.
In 1997,
Pope John Paul II created a mission ''
sui iuris
''Sui iuris'' ( or ) also spelled ''sui juris'', is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both secular law and the Catholic Church's canon law. The term church ''sui iuris'' is used in the Catholic ''Code of Can ...
'' for the country to be administered by the
Institute of the Incarnate Word
The Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) ( es, Instituto del Verbo Encarnado) is a Catholic religious institute founded in Argentina by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela on March 25, 1984. It is a religious institute of diocesan right. The institute is t ...
of
Argentina.
On 29 September 1997, the Holy See established the Mission ''sui iuris'' on territory split off from the then
Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan (shortly after promoted to Diocese of Karaganda, after ''missiones sui iuris'' were also split off for
Kyrgyzstan,
Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan, all in 1997).
The Institute sent priests from South America to Tajikistan. In 2003, the Church opened a center and
soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center, is a place where food is offered to the Hunger, hungry usually for free or sometimes at a below-market price (such as via coin donations upon visiting). Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoo ...
in
Dushanbe for homeless children.
By 2004, the mission had three parishes, one mission center, five priests, four nuns of the
Missionaries of Charity, and its own website.
In 2005, three sisters of the Servants of the Lord and Our Lady of Matara came to live in Tajikistan.
The
Missionaries of Charity started sewing classes for young women in 2006 so they might develop skills and further their education.
In July 2007, Father Avila joined with the 22 non-Islamic religious groups in the country to object to a bill that would greatly restrict the activities of religious minorities.
In March 2008, many poor and elderly citizens queued at the nuns house in Dushanbe to receive aid from
Caritas Tajikistan,
Care International
CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, formerly Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) is a major international humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. Founded i ...
and United States
Catholic Relief Service
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...
to survive the harsh winter.
In 2012, there were three Tajiks studying for the priesthood and three who wish to be nuns.
Ecclesiastical superiors
:''So far, all its superiors were
Argentina-born missionary members of the
Institute of the Incarnate Word
The Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) ( es, Instituto del Verbo Encarnado) is a Catholic religious institute founded in Argentina by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela on March 25, 1984. It is a religious institute of diocesan right. The institute is t ...
(I.V.E.)
* Father Carlos Antonio Ávila, I.V.E. (1997.09.29 – 2013.09.19)
* Father Pedro Ramiro López, I.V.E. (2013.09.19 – ...)
See also
*
Christianity in Tajikistan
*
Religion in Tajikistan
Islam, the predominant religion throughout Central Asia, was brought to the region by the Arabs in the 7th century. Since that time, Islam has become an integral part of Tajik culture. Tajikistan is a secular country, but the post-Soviet era has ...
References
External links
History of the Catholic Church in Tajikistan
{{Asia topic, Christianity in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Missions sui iuris