Maronite Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Western and Central Africa

Apostolic Exarchate of Western and Central Africa (Maronite)
Exarchatus Apostolicus Africae Centralis et Occidentalis
Location
Country Nigeria
Metropolitan Immediately subject to the Holy See
Information
Denomination Maronite Church
Rite West Syro-Antiochene Rite
Established 13 January 2014
Cathedral Our Lady of Annunciation Cathedral in Ibadan
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi
Apostolic Exarch Simon Faddoul

Maronite Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of West and Central Africa (in Latin: Exarchatus Apostolicus Africae Centralis et Occidentalis) is an Apostolic Exarchate of the Maronite Church immediately subject to the Holy See located in Nigeria. It is currently ruled by Apostolic Exarch Simon Faddoul.

Territory and statistics

The Maronite Apostolic Exarchate extends its jurisdiction over the Maronite faithful living in West and Central Africa. Its exarchial seat is the city of Ibadan in Nigeria, where is located the Our Lady of Annunciation Cathedral.

History

The Maronite Apostolic Exarchate was erected by Pope Francis on 13 January 2014[1][2] with the papal bull Patrimonium ecclesiarum.[3] Excepting eparchies of the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church, this is the first ecclesiastical circumscription of an Eastern Catholic Church established in the Sub-Saharan Africa.

Its first Apostolic Exarch, without episcopal character, is Simon Faddoul, former president of Caritas of Lebanon, also appointed apostolic visitor to the Maronite faithful residents in Southern Africa.

Apostolic Exarchs

References

  1. ↑ press.vatican.va
  2. ↑ en.radiovaticana.va
  3. ↑ vatican.va, AAS 106 (2014), pp. 159-160
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