Diocese of Benguela
| Diocese of Benguela Dioecesis Benguelensis | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Angola |
| Metropolitan | Huambo |
| Statistics | |
| Population Total Catholics |
(as of 2020) 2,551,000 1,985,760 (77.8%) |
| Parishes | 68 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 6 June 1970 |
| Cathedral | Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral, Benguela |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of Fatima |
| Secular priests | 172 (2020) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | António Francisco Jaca |
Diocese of Benguela — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela (Latin: Dioecesis Benguelensis) is a diocese located in the city of Benguela in the ecclesiastical province of Huambo in Angola. The current bishop of the diocese is António Francisco Jaca.
History
The diocese was established on 6 June 1970 as Diocese of Benguela from the Diocese of Nova Lisboa (now the Archdiocese of Huambo). It was initially a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Luanda but became a suffragan of Huambo on 3 February 1977.
It enjoyed a papal visit by Pope John Paul II on 9 June 1992.[1]
Geography
The diocese covers the entirety of Benguela Province. It has an area of 39,823 km2 and is divided into 68 parishes.
Special churches
The Cathedral of the diocese is Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral (Portuguese: Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora de Fátima) in Benguela.
Bishops
Bishops of Benguela
- Armando Amaral dos Santos (6 June 1970 – 14 October 1973)
- Oscar Lino Lopes Fernandes Braga (20 November 1974 – 18 February 2008)
- Eugenio Dal Corso, PSDP (18 February 2008 – 26 March 2018),[2] elevated to Cardinal in 2019
- António Francisco Jaca, SVD (26 March 2018[2] – present)
Auxiliary Bishops
- Estêvão Binga (3 November 2021–1 August 2024). Appointed Bishop of Ganda, Angola
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
- Mário Lucunde, appointed Bishop of Menongue in 2005
- Emílio Sumbelelo, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Uije in 2006
See also
Canonical status and jurisdiction
Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[3]
- Part of: Ecclesiastical Province of Huambo
External links
References
- Back to citation "Apostolic Journey to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (June 4-10, 1992)". Vatican.va. Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 "Resignations and Appointments, 26.03.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- Back to citation Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela, official website
External links
- GCatholic.org
- "Diocese of Benguela". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney.