Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol ( Latin: Dioecesis Odesensis-Sympheropolitanus ) - Diocese ( diocese ) of the Roman Catholic Church with its center in Odessa , Ukraine . Included in the Metropolitanate of Lviv . Diocese Cathedral - Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary .
| Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol | |
|---|---|
| lat Dioecesis odesensis-sympheropolitanus | |
 Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Odessa | |
| latin rite | |
| Main city | Odessa |
| A country |  Ukraine |
| Established | May 4, 2002 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
| Metropolis | Archdiocese of Lviv |
| Parishes | 70 |
| Hierarch | Bronislaw Bernatsky |
| Diocese Square | 138 000 km² |
| Diocese population | 10 000 000 people. |
| The number of Catholics | 16 360 people |
| Share of Catholics | 0.2% |
| Site | |
Content
History
On May 4, 2002, the Holy See announced the creation of the Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol, which included the Crimea , Odessa , Nikolaev , Kirovograd and Kherson regions of Ukraine, which were separated from the diocese of Kamyanets-Podilsky .
Reaction
The reaction of the Moscow Patriarchate was restrained-negative [1] :
The official representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Priest Alexander Abramov, said that "we see the formation of dioceses in Ukraine as a further expansion of the Catholic missionary activity in the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate." The Moscow Patriarchate is closely monitoring what is happening, while not “calling into question the Vatican’s right to act within the framework of existing legislation”, although “the very fact of creating more and more new structures on the canonical territory of the Russian Church is surprising.”
Ordinaries of the diocese
- Bishop Bronislaw Bernacki ( May 4, 2002 )
Auxiliary Bishops
- Bishop Pyotr Gerkulian Malchuk OFM [2] (03/29/2008 - 06/15/2011), appointed bishop of Kiev-Zhytomyr
- Bishop Jacek Omi Dust (since November 23, 2012 )
Structure
The territory of the diocese has an area of 138 000 km². According to the catholic-hierarchy reference book, as of 2013, there were about 33 thousand Catholics, 55 priests, and 62 monks in the diocese [3] .
In 2014, the diocese was divided by the state border, which did not lead to canonical consequences. Bishop Ordinary Bronislaw Bernacki has his residence in Odessa , and Assistant Bishop Jacek Dust lives in Crimea. On December 22, 2014, the Apostolic See appointed him the Delegate of the pastoral district of Crimea and Sevastopol, which, in accordance with an agreement with the authorities of the Russian Federation, was created exclusively for administrative purposes so that the Catholic Church could continue to function normally in Crimea. The Vatican does not officially recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Vatican opens diocese in Ukraine, July 10, 2002
- ↑ See Abbreviations of Catholic Women's Monastic Orders and Congregations
- ↑ Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol
- ↑ Interview of Bishop Jacek Piel about the life of Catholics in Krima
See also
- Catholicism in Crimea