Catholicism in Botswana or the Catholic Church in Botswana is part of the worldwide Catholic Church. The number of Catholics in Botswana is about 77 thousand people (5% of the total population [1] ).
Content
History
The first Catholic missionaries from the Jesuit monastic order appeared in what is now Botswana in April 1879. In 1886, monks from the Congregation of the Holy Spirit arrived here. For various reasons, these Catholic missions fell into decay after some time, and the activities of the Catholic Church in Botswana until 1952 were limited to the presence of several missionaries.
In 1952, passion monks from Ireland arrived here, and the activities of the Catholic Church in the country intensified. In 1959, the Apostolic Prefecture of Bechuanaland was established by the Holy See . In 1970, the first diocese of Gaborone was established in Botswana, which entered the Metropolis of Bloemfontein in South Africa .
In 1981, the first representative of the local population was ordained bishop .
In 1998, Francistown's Apostolic Vicariate was established in Botswana, which was entrusted to the Verbist monks .
In September 1988, Pope John Paul II paid a pastoral visit to Botswana.
On February 7, 2007, an apostolic nuncio was appointed in Botswana, whose residence is located in Pretoria .
On October 2, 2017, the Apostolic Vicariate of Francistown was transformed into a full-fledged diocese [2] .
Structure
Currently, there are two dioceses in Botswana: Gaborone and Francistown (both dioceses are part of the Pretoria Metropolitanate ), 26 parishes , 2 bishops.
The Catholic Church of Botswana is part of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of South Africa .
Notes
- ↑ Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 1, p. 714
- ↑ Diocese of Francistown
Source
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 1, M., ed. Franciscans, 2002, p. 714, ISBN 5-89208-037-4