Diocese of Leiria–Fátima
| Diocese of Leiria–Fátima Dioecesis Leiriensis–Fatimensis Diocese de Leiria–Fátima | |
|---|---|
The Episcopal Cathedral of Leiria–Fátima
| |
| Location | |
| Country | Portugal |
| Ecclesiastical province | Lisbon |
| Metropolitan | Patriarchate of Lisbon |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,700 km2 (660 sq mi) |
| Population Total Catholics |
(as of 2021) 290,000 248,500 (85.7%) |
| Parishes | 73 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 17 January 1918 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Leiria |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of Fátima St Augustine of Hippo |
| Secular priests | 89 (Diocesan) 69 (Religious Orders) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | José Ornelas Carvalho, S.C.I. |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Rui I |
| Bishops emeritus | Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva Bishop Emeritus (1993-2006) António Augusto dos Santos Marto Bishop Emeritus (2006-2022) |
| Map | |
| Location of the Diocese of Leiria–Fátima | |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
The Diocese of Leiria–Fátima (Latin: Dioecesis Leiriensis–Fatimensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in Portugal. It is suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Patriarchate of Lisbon.[1]
The main church of the episcopal see is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception, in Leiria. It also has two minor basilicas, both in Fátima: the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, and also a World Heritage Site: the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory, in Batalha, as a decommissioned former Cathedral (now ruined): Church of Our Lady of Pena.
History
- May 22, 1545: Established as Diocese of Leiria, on territory split off from the Diocese of Coimbra
- In 1585 it gained territory from Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lisboa, again on 1614.10.09
- Suppressed on September 30, 1881, its territories being reassigned (back) to Patriarchal See of Lisboa and to Diocese of Coimbra
- Restored on January 17, 1918 as Diocese of Leiria, regaining territories from Patriarchal See of Lisboa and Diocese of Coimbra
- On March 25, 1957 it gained territory from Patriarchal See of Lisboa
- Enjoyed Papal visits from Pope Paul VI in May 1967 and Pope John Paul II in May 1982, May 1991 and May 2000.
- Renamed on May 13, 1984 as Diocese of Leiria–Fátima, however without a co-cathedral.[2]
- Enjoyed Papal visits from Pope Benedict XVI in May 2010 and Pope Francis in May 2017.
- Storm Kristin damaged the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception on 28 January 2026.[3]
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 266,792 Catholics (91.6% of 291,144 total) on 1,700 km2 in 75 parishes and 6 missions with 156 priests (92 diocesan, 64 religious), 767 lay religious (77 brothers, 690 sisters) and 6 seminarians.
Bishops
Bishops of Leiria
- Brás de Barros, C.R.S.A. (1545-1556)
- Gaspar do Casal, O.E.S.A. (1557-1579)
- António Pinheiro (1579-1582)
- Pedro de Castilho (1583-1604)
- Martim Afonso Mexia (1605-1615)
- António de Santa Maria (1616-1623)
- Francisco de Menezes (1625-1627)
- Dinis de Melo e Castro (1627-1636)
- Pedro Barbosa de Eça (1636-1640)
- Pedro Vieira da Silva (1670-1676)
- Domingos de Gusmão, O.P. (1677-1678)
- José de Lencastre, O.Carm. (1681-1694)
- Álvaro de Abranches e Noronha (1694-1746)
- Joao de Nossa Senhora (1746-1760)
- Miguel de Bulhoes e Sousa (1761-1779)
- Lourenco de Lancastre (1780-1790)
- Manuel de Aguiar (1790-1815)
- Joao Inacio de Fonseca Manso (1818-1834)
- Guilherme Henriques de Carvalho (1943-1845)
- Manuel José da Costa (1846-1851)
- Joaquim Ferreira Ferraz (1852-1873)
- José Alves Correia da Silva (1920-1957)
- João Pereira Venâncio, O.R.C. (1958-1972)
- Alberto Cosme do Amaral (1972-1984)
Bishops of Leiria-Fatima
- Alberto Cosme do Amaral (13 May 1984 – 2 February 1993)
- Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva (2 February 1993 – 22 April 2006)
- António Augusto dos Santos Marto (22 April 2006 – 28 January 2022)[4]
- José Ornelas Carvalho, S.C.I. (28 January 2022[4] – present)
See also
- List of Catholic dioceses in Portugal
- Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Fátima)
- Basilica of the Holy Trinity (Fátima)
- Our Lady of Fátima
- Sanctuary of Fátima
Sources and external links
- Diocese of Leiria-Fátima – Official website
- GCatholic, with Google map - data for alls sections
39°44′46″N 8°48′25″W / 39.7461°N 8.8070°W
Canonical status and jurisdiction
Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[5]
- Part of: Ecclesiastical Province of Lisboa
External links
References
- Back to citation Catholic Hierarchy page
- Back to citation Diocese of Leiria – Fátima, Portugal
- Back to citation "Sé de Leiria encerrada temporariamente devido a danos provocados pela tempestade Kristin". Diocese of Leiria-Fátima. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 "Leiria-Fátima: D. António Marto elogia sucessor e destaca alinhamento com o Papa". Agência Ecclesia (in Portuguese). 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- Back to citation Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima, official website