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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.
Diocese of Benguela Dioecesis Benguelensis | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Angola |
| 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 | Francis |
| Bishop | António Francisco Jaca, S.V.D. |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Estêvão Binga |
| Bishops emeritus | Eugenio Dal Corso, P.S.D.P. |
History edit
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 Lwanda 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 edit
The diocese covers the entirety of Benguela Province. It has an area of 39,823 km² and is divided into 68 parishes .
Special churches edit
The Cathedral of the diocese is Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral (Portuguese: Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora de Fátima) in Benguela.
Bishops edit
Bishops of Benguela edit
- 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 edit
- Estêvão Binga (3 November 2021–present)
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops edit
- Mário Lucunde, appointed Bishop of Menongue in 2005
- Emílio Sumbelelo, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Uije in 2006
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Resignations and Appointments, 26.03.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
External links edit
- GCatholic.org
- "Diocese of Benguela". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney.