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 (85 years ago) |
| Cathedral | St. Joseph's Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Archbishop | Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. |
| Emeritus Bishops | Zekarias Yohannes |
| Map | |
 | |
The Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara (Latin: Archieparchia Asmarensis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Asmara in Eritrea.
Its Metropolitan, currently archeparch Menghesteab Tesfamariam, is the head of the single-province Eritrean Catholic Church, which follows the Alexandrian rite, like the Copts of Egypt. The Eritrean Church uses the Ge'ez language liturgically, like the neighboring Ethiopian Catholic Church, from part of whose jurisdiction the Eritrean Church was erected. It is the Eastern Catholic counterpart of the (Coptic) Eritrean Orthodox Church, which is headed by a patriarch, whose see is also in Asmara.
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] All three aforementioned dioceses founded from Asmara's territory are now its suffragan eparchies.
Ordinaries
Ethiopian Catholic Church
- Vicar Apostolic
- Kidanè-Maryam Cassà † (4 July 1930 – 1 September 1951)
- Apostolic Exarchs
- Ghebre Jesus Jacob † (24 February 1951 – February 1958)
- Asrate Mariam Yemmeru † (3 February 1958 - 9 April 1961) Appointed, Archbishop of Addis Abeba
- Eparchs
- François Abraha † (9 April 1961 - 17 July 1984 )
- Zekarias Yohannes (17 July 1984 - 25 June 2001 )
- Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. (25 June 2001–19 January 2015)
Eritrean Catholic Church
- Metropolitan and archeparch
- Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. (19 January 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.