Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga
| Diocese of Tonga Dioecesis Tongana | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of Diocese | |
| Location | |
| Country | Tonga |
| Territory | Tonga and Niue |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 947 km2 (366 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2011) 104,660 17,000 (7.6%) |
| Parishes | 14 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 12 June 1966 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Tonga (Tongan: Malia Tupu Imakulata) |
| Patron saint | The Immaculate Conception |
| Secular priests | 38 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Soane Patita Paini Mafi, Bishop of Tonga, Cardinal-Priest of Santa Paola Romana |
| Emeritus Bishops | Soane Lilo Foliaki, S.M. |
| Map | |
 | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tonga (Latin: Dioecesis Tongana) in Tonga is immediately subject to the Holy See. It was erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of Central Oceania in 1842, had subsequent name changes in 1937 and 1957 and was elevated to the Diocese of Tonga in June 21, 1966.[1] Its principal church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Tonga (Tongan: Malia Tupu Imakulata) in the capital Nuku'alofa. The tiny Catholic community of some 17,000 is threatened with losing its home because of climate change.[2]
On 4 January 2015, Pope Francis announced that he would make Tonga's Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi, a cardinal on 14 February.[3][4]
Ordinaries
- Pierre Bataillon, S. M. (1842–1863)
- Aloys Elloy, S. M. (1872–1878)
- Jean-Amand Lamaze, S. M. (1879–1906)
- Armand Olier, S. M. (1906–1911)
- Joseph-Felix Blanc, S. M. (1912–1952)
- John Hubert Macey Rodgers S.M. (1953–1997)
- Patelisio Punou-Ki-Hihifo Finau, S. M. (1972–1993)
- Soane Lilo Foliaki, S. M. (1994–2008)
- Soane Patita Paini Cardinal Mafi (2008– )
Coat of arms
The proposal of coat of arms created Marek Sobola, a heraldic artist from Žilina (Slovakia), who also made a diocesan seal and flag.[5] These are based on the Tonga flag and a Fleur-de-lis, symbol of the Immaculate Conception in Christian iconography. The coat of arms was adopted officially in September 21, 2017.[5]
References
- ↑ Cheney, David M. "Tonga (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
- ↑ "Pope appoints 20 new cardinals". BBC News. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
- ↑ "Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali" (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ↑ Matangi, Tonga online (2015-02-16). "Tongans celebrate first Cardinal". Matangi Tonga. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
- 1 2 Sobola, Marek. "Erb Tongskej diecézy – Coat of arms of Diocese of Tonga". sobola.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2018-02-04.
External links
"Diocese of Tonga". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2015-08-01.