Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi (Latin: Varanasien[sis]) is a Latin suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of Agra in northern India' s vast state Uttar Pradesh. Its cathedral episcopal see is St. Mary's Cathedral in the city of Varanasi.
Diocese of Varanasi Dioecesis Varanasiensis वाराणसी के सूबा | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary's Cathedral, Varanasi | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Ecclesiastical province | Agra |
| Metropolitan | Agra |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 21,395 km2 (8,261 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2010) 20,328,000 18,259 (0.1%) |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Cathedral | St Mary's Cathedral in Varanasi |
| Patron saint | John the Baptist, Fidelis of Sigmaringen |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Eugene Joseph |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Albert D'Souza |
| Bishops emeritus | Patrick Paul D'Souza |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
History
- Established on 11 July 1946 as Apostolic Prefecture of Gorakhpur, on territory split off from the Diocese of Allahabad, exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See
- 17 September 1958: Renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Benares-Gorakhpur
- Promoted on 5 June 1970 as Diocese of Banaras (Benares), losing its exempt status by becoming a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Agra
- 14 May 1971: Renamed as Diocese of Varanasi (as the city had changed its name).
Ordinaries
(all Latin, Roman Rite)
- Apostolic Prefects of Gorakhpur
- Father Joseph Emil Malenfant, OFMCap (6 June 1947 – 17 September 1958 see below)
- Apostolic Prefects of Benares-Gorakhpur
- Joseph Emil Malenfant, OFMCap (see above 17 September 1958 – 1970)
- Bishops of Banaras
- Patrick Paul D'Souza (5 June 1970 – 14 May 1971 see below)
- Bishops of Varanasi
- Patrick Paul D'Souza (see above 14 May 1971 – 24 February 2007), Vice-President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (1996 – 1998)
- Raphy Manjaly (24 February 2007 – 2013.10.17), later Bishop of Allahabad (India, in the same province) (2013.10.17 – ...)
- Eugene Joseph (2015.05.30 – ...)
References
External links
- Diocese of Varanasi Official Website Archived 18 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links [self-published]
- Catholic Hierarchy [self-published]
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