Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry (Latin: Konakrien(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Conakry, which covers all Guinea, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The cathedral episcopal see of the archbishop is Cathédrale Sainte-Marie, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in the national capital Conakry.
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 130,152 Catholics (2.8% of 4,681,000 total) on 116,572 km² in 35 parishes and one mission with 64 priests (48 diocesan, 16 religious), 102 lay religious (36 brothers, 66 sisters) and 18 seminarians.
Ecclesiastical province
All other bishoprics in Guinea are his Suffragan sees :
History
On 18 October 1897, the Apostolic Prefecture of French Guinea was established on French colonial territories canonically split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Senegambia (based in Senegal) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Sierra Leone (in Sierra Leone).
On 18 April 1920, it became the Apostolic Vicariate of French Guinea, hence entitled to a titular bishop.
On 12 May 1949, it was renamed after its see as Apostolic Vicariate of Conakry, having lost territory to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Kankan, now one of its suffragan dioceses.
On 14 September 1955, was elevated as the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Conakry.
It enjoyed a Papal visit by Pope John Paul II in February 1992.
Ordinaries
(all Roman rite)
- Apostolic Prefect of French Guinea
- Raymond-René Lerouge, Holy Ghost Fathers (C.S.Sp.) (1911.03.09 – 1920.04.22 see below)
- Apostolic Vicars of French Guinea
- Raymond-René Lerouge, C.S.Sp. (see above 1920.04.22 – 1949.05.12 see below), Titular Bishop of Selge (1920.04.18 – death 1949.07.02)
- Apostolic Vicars of Conakry
- Raymond-René Lerouge, C.S.Sp. (see above 1949.05.12 – death 1949.07.02)
- Michel-Jules-Joseph-Marie Bernard, C.S.Sp.(1950.03.12 – 1954.07.18), Titular Bishop of Ægeæ (1950.03.12 – 1955.09.14); later Apostolic Vicar of Brazzaville (Congo-Brazzaville) (1954.07.18 – 1955.09.14), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Brazzaville (1955.09.14 – 1964.05.02), later Titular Archbishop of Aræ in Mauretania (1964.05.02 – 1966.01.15), Archbishop-Bishop of Nouakchott (Mauritania) (1966.01.15 – 1973.12.21)
- Gérard-Paul-Louis-Marie de Milleville, C.S.Sp. (1955.05.08 – 1955.09.14 see below), Titular Bishop of Dalisandus in Pamphylia (1955.05.08 – 1955.09.14)
- Metropolitan Archbishops of Conakry
- Gérard-Paul-Louis-Marie de Milleville, C.S.Sp. (see above 1955.09.14 – 1962.03.10), also Apostolic Administrator of Kankan (Guinea) (1957 – 1958.12.14); later Titular Archbishop of Gabala (1962.03.10 – death 2007.01.12) as Auxiliary Bishop of Fortaleza (Brazil) (1967 – 1984), Apostolic Administrator of Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe, French) (1968.01.29 – 1970.10.05)
- Raymond-Maria Tchidimbo, C.S.Sp. (1962.03.10 – retired 1979.08.13), President of Episcopal Conference of the Guinea (1970 – 1979); died 2011
- MORE BIOS TO BE ELABORATED
- Robert Sarah (1979.08.13 – 2001.10.01), appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (elevated to Cardinal in 2010)
- Vincent Coulibaly (2003.05.06 - ... )
See also
- Roman Catholicism in Guinea
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Guinea