Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík
| Diocese of Reykjavík Dioecesis Reykiavikensis Biskupsdæmi Reykjavíkur | |
|---|---|
 The Cathedral of Christ the King in the upper right. | |
| Location | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Territory | Iceland |
| Metropolitan | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2014) 325,671 11,454 (3.5%) |
| Parishes | 6 |
| Churches | 18 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin |
| Established | 18 October 1968 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King |
| Patron saint | Saint Thorlak |
| Secular priests | 6 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop of Reykjavík | Pierre Bürcher |
| Vicar General | Patrick Breen |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church which covers the whole of the country of Iceland, which had 11,454 Catholics on January 1, 2014.[1] It reports directly to the Holy See of Rome.[2]
History
The Apostolic Prefecture of Iceland was created in 1923 and this was elevated to an Apostolic Administration in 1929, which in turn was elevated to the status of a diocese in 1968. As of 2013 the bishop was Pierre Bürcher,[3] the fourth bishop of the diocese, who participates in the Scandinavian Bishops Conference. The vicar general is Fr. Patrick Breen, rector of Landakot Cathedral, Christ the King Parish.
The Diocese of Reykjavík is a modern creation. The medieval church was represented by the sees of Skálholt (created 1056) and Hólar (1106), but these became Lutheran during the Reformation. (These two sees were amalgamated in 1801 into a single diocese under the Bishop of Iceland in the Lutheran Church of Iceland.) Iceland remained without Roman Catholic prelates until the Apostolic Prefecture was established at Reykjavík in 1923.[4]
See also
- Bishop of Reykjavík (Catholic)
- Christ the King Cathedral, Reykjavík (Iceland)
- Roman Catholicism in Iceland
- Religion in Iceland
Footnotes
- ↑ Stat Iceland
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy
- ↑ Cf. Holy See Press Office, Daily Bulletin of 30.10.2007, Rinunce e nomine, Rinuncia del Vescovo di Reykjavik (Islanda) e nomina del successore (Italian)
- ↑ New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia: Iceland