Roman Catholic Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol
| Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol Dioecesis Odesensis-Sympheropolitanus Єпархія Одеса-Сімферополь | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Ecclesiastical province | Lviv |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Lviv |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 138,000 km2 (53,000 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2013) 9,980,000 33,000 (0.3%) |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin |
| Established | 4 May 2002 |
| Cathedral |
Кафедральний собор Успіння Пресвятої Діви Марії Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Odessa |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Bronislaw Bernacki |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Mieczysław Mokrzycki |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Jacek Pyl |
| Map | |
 Location of the Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol (Latin: Odesensis-Sympheropolitanus) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in southern Ukraine and it includes Russian-annexed Crimea.[1] It covers an area about one-third the size of Poland including areas impacted by 2014 Crimean crisis, and the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine.[1] There is now a de facto and hostile border splitting the diocese.
Bronislaw Bernacki is the current bishop of the diocese. He was appointed to the See of Odessa-Simferopol in May 2002 and is based in Odessa. Jacek Pyl is an auxiliary bishop and is based in Simferopol.[1]
History
The history of the diocese begins in 2002, when the diocese of Odessa-Simferopol was erected from the Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilskyi. The diocese's "basic work" began about the time of the Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.[1]
Auxiliary bishop Pyl described the diocese in 2014 as “missionary territory” with “many challenges.”[1] He reported that there were about 64 priests and 3,000 faithful in the diocese.[1] In 2014, in Crimea there were seven parishes and 13 priests and masses were celebrated mainly in Russian but also in English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Polish.[1]
As of 2014, Simferopol does not have a co-cathedral.[1] “We have been waiting for the last 20 years to get permission to build a church,” Bishop Pyl is quoted as saying.[1] Plans for a co-cathedral had been underway but were put on hold following Russian annexation of Crimea.[1]
Geography
The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lviv of the Latins.
Ordinaries
- Bronislaw Bernacki (4 May 2002 Appointed - )
See also
Footnotes
External links
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