Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic church named after its episcopal see, the Danish national capital, Copenhagen. It covers all Denmark (as in neighbouring provinces where none of the pre-Reformation bishoprics were re-established after Lutheranism became the new official state church in the 16th century) and two Danish overseas possessions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is estimated that 36,000 (0.7%) out of the 5,516,597 inhabitants of the diocesan territory are Roman Catholics.
Diocese of Copenhagen Dioecesis Hafniae Bispedømmet København | |
|---|---|
 St. Ansgar's Cathedral | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country |  |
| Territory | All of Denmark, including the Faeroe Islands, Bornholm and Greenland |
| Metropolitan | Immediately subject to the Holy See |
| Coordinates | 55°41′9.88″N 12°35′31.86″E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,220,093 km2 (857,183 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2013)  |
| Parishes | |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | April 29, 1953 |
| Cathedral | St. Ansgar's Cathedral |
| Secular priests | 78 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Czeslaw Kozon |
| Website | |
| katolsk.dk | |
The current bishop, appointed in 1995, is Czeslaw Kozon. His predecessor, bishop Hans Ludvig Martensen, S.J., served in the position from 1965 to 1995, when he resigned the post. The principal church of the diocese is St. Ansgar's Cathedral.
The former bishoprics of Ribe and Odense were the former provincial dioceses, that have since been subsumed into the diocese of Copenhagen. The Diocese of Copenhagen is exempt immediately subject to the Holy See.
It was established on August 7, 1868 as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern Missions. In 1869, it was demoted as the Apostolic Prefecture of Denmark. On March 15, 1892, it was again promoted as the Vicariate Apostolic of Denmark. Only on April 29, 1953 it was promoted as the regular, post-missionary diocese of København.
Bishops of the Diocese
- The Rev. Hermann Grüder (Prefect of Denmark: 1869–1883)
- The Most Rev. Johannes Von Euch (Prefect of Denmark: 1883–1894; Vicar Apostolic of Denmark: 1894–1922)
- The Most Rev. Josef Ludwig Brems, O.Praem (Vicar Apostolic of Denmark: 1922–1938)
- The Most Rev. Johannes Theodor Suhr, O.S.B. (Vicar Apostolic of Denmark: 1939–1953; Bishop of Copenhagen: 1953–1964)
- The Most Rev. Hans Ludvig Martensen, S.J. (Bishop of Copenhagen: 1965–1995)
- The Most Rev. Czeslaw Kozon (Bishop of Copenhagen: 1995–current)
See also
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Nordic Europe