Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen

This article is about the Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen. For the Evangelical Lutheran dicosese, see Diocese of Copenhagen.
Diocese of Copenhagen
Dioecesis Hafniae
Bispedømmet København
Location
Country Denmark
Territory All of Denmark, including the Faeroe Islands, Bornholm and Greenland
Metropolitan Immediately subject to the Holy See
Coordinates 55°41′9.88″N 12°35′31.86″E / 55.6860778°N 12.5921833°E
Statistics
Area 2,220,093 km2 (857,183 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2013)
Increase 5,707,749
Increase 38,614 (Steady 0.7%)
Parishes Steady 47
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established April 29, 1953
Cathedral St. Ansgar's Cathedral
Secular priests 78
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Czeslaw Kozon
Website
Diocese of Copenhagen

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic church named after its episcopal see, the Danish national capital, Copenhagen. It covers all Denmark (as in neighbouring provinces where none of the pre-Reformation bishoprics were re-established after Lutheranism became the new official state church in the 16th century) and two Danish overseas possessions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is estimated that 36,000 (0.7%) out of the 5,516,597 inhabitants of the diocesan territory are Roman Catholics.

The current bishop, appointed in 1995, is Czeslaw Kozon. His predecessor, bishop Hans Ludvig Martensen, S.J., served in the position from 1965 to 1995, when he resigned the post. The principal church of the diocese is St. Ansgar's Cathedral.

The former bishoprics of Ribe and Odense were the former provincial dioceses, that have since been subsumed into the diocese of Copenhagen. The Diocese of Copenhagen is exempt immediately subject to the Holy See.

It was established on August 7, 1868 as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern Missions. In 1869, it was demoted as the Apostolic Prefecture of Denmark. On March 15, 1892, it was again promoted as the Vicariate Apostolic of Denmark. Only on April 29, 1953 it was promoted as the regular, post-missionary diocese of København.

Bishops of the Diocese

See also

Sources and external links

Coordinates: 55°40′26″N 12°33′27″E / 55.67389°N 12.55750°E