Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara
| Archeparchy of Asmara Archieparchia Asmarensis | |
|---|---|
|
St. Joseph's Cathedral | |
| Location | |
| Country | Eritrea |
| Ecclesiastical province | Asmara |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 53,183 km2 (20,534 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2012) 3,934,000 67,314 (1.7%) |
| Parishes | 58 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Eritrean Catholic Church |
| Rite | Ge'ez Rite |
| Established | 4 July 1930 (84 years ago) |
| Cathedral | St. Joseph's Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Archbishop | Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. |
| Emeritus Bishops | Zekarias Yohannes |
The Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara (Latin: Archieparchia Asmarensis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Asmara in Eritrea. Its Metropolitan, currently Menghesteab Tesfamariam is the head of the Eritrean Catholic Church.
History
On 4 July 1930, Pope Pius XI established the Ordinariate of Eritrea. Pope Pius XII elevated it as the Apostolic Exarchate of Asmara on 31 October 1951. Blessed John XXIII elevated it to an eparchy on 20 February 1961. It lost territory on 21 December 1995 when the Eparchies of Barentu and Keren were established. It lost territory again in 2012 when the Eparchy of Segheneity was established.[1][2] In January 2015 Pope Francis erected the metropolitan sui iuris Eritrean Catholic Church and elevated the Eparchy of Asmara to the dignity of Archeparchy.[3]
Ordinaries
Ethiopian Catholic Church
- Vicar Apostolic
- Kidanè-Maryam Cassà † (4 Jul 1930 - 1 Sep 1951)
- Apostolic Exarch
- Ghebre Jesus Jacob † (24 Feb 1951 - Feb 1958)
- Asrate Mariam Yemmeru † (3 Feb 1958 - 9 Apr 1961) Appointed, Archbishop of Addis Abeba
- Eparch
- François Abraha † (9 Apr 1961 - 17 Jul 1984 )
- Zekarias Yohannes (17 Jul 1984 - 25 Jun 2001 )
- Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. (25 Jun 2001 - 19 Jan 2015)
Eritrean Catholic Church
- Metropolitan and archeparch
- Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. (19 Jan 2015 - present)
Suffragan dioceses
References
- ↑ "Eparchy of Asmara (Ethiopian)". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
- ↑ "Ethiopic Diocese of Asmara". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
- ↑ "Erezione della Chiesa Metropolitana sui iuris eritrea e nomina del primo Metropolita". Holy See Press Office. January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.