The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paraíba () is a Latin Metropolitan

archdiocese In 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 provinces were administratively associated ...

, named after the city of João Pessoa, which used to be named

Paraíba Paraíba ( , ; ) is a states of Brazil, state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba i ...

, in southeastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows (''Catedral Basílica Metropolitana Nossa Senhora das Neves''), in the city of João Pessoa, the state capital.

History

* Established on April 27, 1892 as ''Diocese of Paraiba'', on territory split off from the then Diocese of Olinda * Lost territory on 1909.12.29 to establish the then

Diocese of Natal The Diocese of Natal is in the region of Natal, South Africa, the diocese has its northern boundary at the Tugela River. The episcopal leader of the diocese is the bishop of Natal. History The history of the Diocese in the Colony of Nata ...

(now Metropolitan itself) * Promoted on February 6, 1914 as ''Metropolitan Archdiocese of Paraíba'', having lost territory to establish its senior

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

, the Diocese of Cajazeiras * Lost territory twice again to establish more suffragan sees: on 1949.05.14 the

Diocese of Campina Grande The Roman Catholic Diocese of Campina Grande () is a suffragan Latin diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paraíba, Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral Nossa Senhora da Conc ...

and on 1980.10.11 the

Diocese of Guarabira The Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarabira () is a diocese located in the city of Guarabira in the ecclesiastical province of Paraíba in Brazil. History * 11 October 1980: Established as Diocese of Guarabira from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of ...

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 1,288,000 Catholics (82.8% of 1,556,103 total) on 6,703 km² in 89 parishes and 8 missions with 151 priests (116 diocesan, 35 religious), 37 deacons, 259 lay religious (41 brothers, 218 sisters) and 45 seminarians.

Ecclesiastical province

Its

Suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

sees are: *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cajazeiras The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cajazeiras () is a diocese located in the city of Cajazeiras in the ecclesiastical province of Paraíba in Brazil. History *6 February 1914: Established as Diocese of Cajazeiras from the Diocese of Paraíba Bishops ...

, a daughter *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Campina Grande The Roman Catholic Diocese of Campina Grande () is a suffragan Latin diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral Nossa Senhora da Conceição, dedicated to the Immaculate Co ...

, a daughter *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarabira The Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarabira () is a diocese located in the city of Guarabira in the ecclesiastical province of Paraíba in Brazil. History * 11 October 1980: Established as Diocese of Guarabira from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of ...

, youngest daughter * Roman Catholic Diocese of Patos

Bishops

(all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

)

Episcopal ordinaries

;'' Suffragan Bishops of Paraíba'' * Bishop Adauctus Aurélio de Miranda Henriques (1894.01.02 – 1914.02.06 ''see below'') ;''Metropolitan Archbishops of Paraíba'' *

Adauctus Aurélio de Miranda Henriques Felix and Adauctus ( 303) were according to tradition, Christian martyrs who were said to have suffered during the Great Persecution during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The ''Acts'', first published in Ado's ''Martyrology' ...

(''see above'' 1914.02.06 – death 1935.08.15) *

Moisés Ferreira Coelho Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses. Notable people bearing the name include: * Moisés (footballer, born 1948) (1948–2008), Brazilian ...

(1935.08.16 – death 1959.04.18), previously Bishop of

Cajazeiras Cajazeiras is a municipality in the state of Paraíba in the Northeast Region of Brazil. It has a population of 62,289 as of 2020. Transportation The city is served by Pedro Vieira Moreira Airport. See also *List of municipalities in Paraíb ...

(Brazil) (1914.11.16 – 1932.02.12), then

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 Berœa (1932.02.12 – 1935.08.16) as

Coadjutor Archbishop The term "coadjutor" (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: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of Paraíba (1932.02.12 – succession 1935.08.16) **

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

: Manuel Pereira da Costa (1954.05.31 – 1959.06.20),

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 an ...

Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...

(1954.05.31 – 1959.06.20); later Bishop of Nazaré (Brazil) (1959.06.20 – 1962.08.23), Bishop of

Campina Grande Campina Grande is the second most populous Brazilian city in the State of Paraíba after João Pessoa, Paraíba, João Pessoa, the capital. It is considered to be the most important city of the Northeastern Brazilian subregion called ''agreste''. ...

(Brazil) (1962.08.23 – retired 1981.05.20), died 2006 *

Mário de Miranda Villas-Boas Mario is the Italian, French, Croatian, Czech, Norwegian, Slovak, Serbian, Hungarian, Slovene, Polish, Spanish, Danish, Portuguese, Romanian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Greek, German, Dutch, and English form of the Latin Roman name Marius. The video ...

(1959.06.20 – retired 1965.05.18), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of

Gibba Gibba (pen name of Francesco Maurizio Guido; 18 December 1924 – 7 October 2018) was an Italian animator who made several erotic cartoons in the 1970s and 1980s. He died, aged 93 on 7 October 2018 in Albenga. Filmography *''Scandalosa Gilda'' ...

(1965.05.18 – death 1968.02.23); previously Bishop of

Garanhuns Garanhuns is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality in the Agreste region of the States of Brazil, state of Pernambuco, located 230 kilometers from the state capital, Recife. It covers an area of km² and belongs to the Caruaru Inter ...

(Brazil) (1938.05.26 – 1944.09.10), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Belém do Pará Belém (; Portuguese language, Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Par ...

(Brazil) (1944.09.10 – 1956.10.23), Titular Archbishop of

Cyrrhus Cyrrhus (; ) is a city in ancient Syria founded by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals. Other names for the city include Coricium, Corice, Hagioupolis, Nebi Huri (), and Khoros (). A false etymology of the sixth century conne ...

(1956.10.23 – 1959.06.20) as never succeeding Coadjutor Archbishop of

São Salvador da Bahia SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of Y ...

(Brazil) (1956.10.23 – 1959.06.20) *

José Maria Pires José Maria Pires (March 15, 1919 – August 27, 2017) was a Brazilian bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Pires was the oldest living Catholic bishop in Brazil at the time of his death at age 98. Biography Pires was born in Córregos, Brazil ...

(1965.12.02 – retired 1995.11.29); previously Bishop of

Araçuaí Araçuaí () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais in the Jequitinhonha River valley. The Araçuaí River, a tributary of the Jequitinhonha, flows through it. Its population wa ...

(Brazil) (1957.05.25 – 1965.12.02) * Marcelo Pinto Carvalheira (1995.11.29 – retired 2004.05.05), also Vice-President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (1998 – 2003); previously Titular Bishop of Bitylius (1975.10.29 – 1981.11.09) as

of Paraíba (1975.10.29 – 1981.11.09), Bishop of

Guarabira Guarabira is a municipality in the state of Paraíba in the Northeast Region of Brazil. It is located at around . It was founded in 1837. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarabira. See also *List of municipalities in Paraíba ...

(Brazil) (1981.11.09 – 1995.11.29) *

Aldo de Cillo Pagotto Aldo may refer to: * Aldo (given name), male given name ** Aldo (footballer, born 1957) ** Aldo (footballer, born 1977) ** Aldo (footballer, born 1988) * Aldo Group, a worldwide chain of shoe stores * Aldosterone in shorthand * Aldo Bonzi Aldo ...

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (), commonly known as the Sacramentinos, is a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men, founded by Peter Julian Eymard. Its members use the postnominal lette ...

(S.S.S.) (2004.05.05 – retired 2016.07.06), previously

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of Sobral (Brazil) (1997.09.10 – 1998.03.18) succeeding as Bishop of Sobral (1998.03.18 – 2004.05.05) *''

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 ...

'' Genival Saraiva de França (2016.07.06 – 2017.03.08), former Bishop of Palmares (Brazil) (2000.07.12 – 2014.03.19) * Manoel Delson Pedreira da Cruz, OFMCap (2017.03.08 – ...), previously Bishop of

Caicó Caicó, also known as the City of Prince, is a municipality in the Seridó Ocidental microregion and Central Potiguar mesoregion, in Rio Grande do Norte state, Northeast Brazil. With a population of 68 726 inhabitants (2021), it is the seventh ...

(Brazil) (2006.07.05 – 2012.08.08), Bishop of

(Brazil) (2012.08.08 – 2017.03.08).

Coadjutor archbishop

Moisés Sizenando Coelho Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses. Notable people bearing the name include: * Moisés (footballer, born 1948) (1948–2008), Brazilian ...

(1932-1935)

Auxiliary bishops

Manuel Pereira da Costa Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

(1954-1959), appointed Bishop of Nazaré, Pernambuco * Marcelo Pinto Carvalheira (1975-1981), appointed Archbishop here

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with Google map and satellite photo - data for all sections

Archdiocese website (Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paraiba, Roman Catholic Archdiocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Brazil Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces in Brazil Christian organizations established in 1892 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century