The Roman Catholic Diocese of Berbérati () is a Latin

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 ...

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, prov ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangui, both in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

. However it remains under the authority of the missionary Roman

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

. Its episcopal see is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in Berbérati, in the Mambéré-Kadéï Prefecture (southwest, formerly Haute-Sangha). The city also has the former cathedral dedicated to Saint Anna.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 214,000 Catholics (48.3% of 443,000 total) on 44,000 km² in 16 parishes and 7 missions, with 30 priests (24 diocesan, 6 religious), 34 lay religious (10 brothers, 24 sisters) and 33 seminarians .

History

* Established on May 28, 1940 as '' Apostolic Prefecture of Berbérati'', on territories split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Foumban (also in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Oubangui Chari (now Central African Republic). Lost territory 1947.01.09 to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Fort-Lamy (in

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

) * Promoted on March 13, 1952 as ''

Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of Berbérati'', hence entitled to a (titular) bishop * September 14, 1955: Promoted as ''Diocese of Berbérati'' * Lost territories on: **February 9, 1959 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Bossangoa and **February 27, 1978 to establish the Diocese of Bouar.

Ordinaries

(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) ...

; so far all members of missionary congregations) ;''Apostolic Prefect of Berbérati'' * Father Pietro Alcantara da Habas, OFMCap (March 28, 1941 – death 1952) ;'' Apostolic Vicar of Berbérati'' * Alphonse-Célestin-Basile Baud, OFMCap (April 10, 1954 – September 14, 1955 ''see below''),

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 ...

of Risinium (April 10, 1954 – September 14, 1955), French ;'' Suffragan Bishops of Berbérati'' * Alphonse-Célestin-Basile Baud, OFMCap (''see above'' September 14, 1955 – retired June 2, 1979, died 1981), French * Jérôme-Michel-Francis Martin, OFMCap (October 3, 1987 – retired June 17, 1991, died 2009), French * Agostino Giuseppe Delfino, OFMCap (June 17, 1991 – retired June 17, 2010), Italian * Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, SMA (May 14, 2012 - ...), first native ordinary

References

External links and sources

GCatholic.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berberati, Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in the Central African Republic Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Bangui Christian organizations established in 1940 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Mambéré-Kadéï

Statistics

History

Ordinaries

See also

References

External links and sources