Diocese of Cartagena

The diocese’s jurisdiction includes 291 parishes in the region of Murcia , united in 8 pastoral zones: the city of Murcia, the First Suburban, the Second Suburban, Cartagena, Campo de Cartagena - Mar Menor, Lorca, Caravaca - Moula, Cieza - Yecla.

The Diocese Department is located in the city of Murcia in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary . In Cartagena are the ruins of the former cathedral, also in honor of Our Lady .

The beginning of the evangelical preaching in Cartagena in Spain , according to legend, was laid by the apostle James .

The first written evidence of Christian communities in the province of Carthage in Roman Spain dates back to the beginning of the fourth century . Thus, in the documents of the Cathedral in Elvira , which passed between 300 and 313 years , during the times of persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian , the name of the Bishop of Eliocroca (now the city of Lorca) is present.

The first mentioned bishop in Cartagena was Bishop Hector, who was present in 516 at the Council in Tarragona .

In 546, Bishop Celsinus presided as Metropolitan at the Council in Valencia . The subsequent local councils of the church in Spain were always attended by bishops from Cartagena. During the rule of the Visigoths, the diocese of Cartagena was elevated to the rank of metropolis . In this historical period, the department was occupied by the bishops Lucinian of Cartagena and St. Fulgencius . Even during Muslim rule, there is evidence of the existence of this diocese under the leadership of Bishop Juan de Cartagena (John of Cartagena) in 988 .

After conquering the typhoid Murcia , Prince Alfonso of Castile (later King Alfons X the Wise ) in 1243 requested Pope Innocent IV to restore the diocese of Cartagena.

In 1248, the Pope ordered a study on the history of the diocese, the result of which was the bull Spiritus exultante , given in Rome on July 31, 1250 and containing an appeal to King Ferdinand III of Castile with the blessing to restore the diocese of Cartagena. The pope appointed the restored diocese of the Franciscan Pedro Gallego, confessor of Prince Alfonso of Castile, to be the bishop.

The consequence of Muslim rule was the decrease in population in the city of Cartagena and the loss of the value that it had in the days of Carthage or Ancient Rome . The restoration of the diocese was due to more sentimental and historical reasons than the actual situation. However, the department was restored and construction began on the cathedral in Cartagena.

The second head of the diocese, Bishop Diego de Magas, without the actual consent of the king, in 1278 appealed to the Holy See to transfer the pulpit from Cartagena to Murcia, but Pope Nicholas III refused this request. Some time later, the bishop reiterated the same request to Pope Nicholas IV . After consulting with the Spanish clergy in 1289, in a confidential letter, known as “Bula de Rieti”, the pontiff clarified the intentions of the Carthaginian bishop.

In 1291, King Sancho IV the Brave allowed the transfer of the bishop's chair from Cartagena to Murcia, but such decisions were exclusively within the competence of the Holy See, therefore, despite the transfer of the chair, the diocese retained its former name. ^[one]

After the transfer of the pulpit, the main mosque in Murcia, transformed into a church in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary , received the status of a cathedral. In 1394, work began on the construction of a new cathedral .

Until 1492, the diocese of Cartagena was directly subordinate to the Holy See. After the formation of the Metropolis of Valencia, Pope Alexander VI incorporated the Diocese of Cartagena into its composition. Since the restoration of the borders of the diocese coincided with the typhoon of Murcia. In 1564, Pope Pius V transferred part of the territory of the diocese to the new diocese of Orihuela , and introduced the diocese of Cartagena into the metropolis of Toledo .

In 1592, Bishop Sancho Davila founded the Diocesan Seminary of San Fulgencio, whose patron saint was Fulgencio, one of the four patrons of Cartagena, who headed the diocese during the rule of the Visigoths.

In 1705 - 1724, Cardinal Belluga reformed the diocesan structures and founded the collegiums of San Leandro and San Isidoro, in honor of the Saints Leander and Isidore of Seville, respectively. Also in the XVIII century , the construction of a new facade and bell tower of the cathedral in the city of Murcia was completed.

In 1949, the bulla of Pope Pius XII allocated a part of the territory of the diocese to the new diocese of Albacete, after which the territory of the diocese of Cartagena coincided with the borders of the autonomous community of Murcia and was incorporated into the metropolis of Granada.

In 1995, the Catholic University of St. Anthony (UCAM) was founded in the diocese, then the International Institute of Mercy and Volunteers of John Paul II (IICV) appeared.

Among the bishops of Cartagena, seven were cardinals , and one, Rodrigo Borgia , was elected Pope under the name of Alexander VI. Currently, the diocese is headed by Monsignor José Manuel Lorca Planes .

At the end of 2006, out of 1,335,792 people living in the territory of the diocese, the Catholics were 1,195,792 people, which corresponds to 89.5% of the total population of the diocese.

• Annuario pontificio for 2007 and previous years on the site [1] , page [2]
• Página Web de la Diócesis de Cartagena
• Vida de Caridad: Instituto Internacional de Caridad y Voluntariado Juan Pablo II, de la Ucam (IICV)
• Delegación Diocesana de Pastoral Juvenil

• Cathedral of Murcia
• Cathedral in Cartagena
• List of Bishops of Cartagena
• Brotherhood of the Rezusitado in Cartagena