Roman Catholic Diocese of Kannur
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Diocese of Kannur Dioecesis Kannurensis |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Ecclesiastical province | Verapoly |
| Metropolitan | Verapoly |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 4,988 km2 (1,926 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2011) 2,734,000 48,899 (1.8%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 5 November 1998 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Kannur |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Dr Alex Vadakumthala |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Joseph Kalathiparambil |
| Vicar General |
Mon. Devassy Earathara = Mon. Clarence Paliath |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
Mon. Devassy Earathara
Pope John Paul II created the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kannur by bifurcating the Diocese of Calicut on December 9, 1998. The new Diocese consists of revenue districts of Kannur and Kasaragod.
The see was vacant from 2012 until 2014. On February 1, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Alex Joseph Vadakumthala as the new bishop of Kannur. He was consecrated on March 23.
Diocese of Kannur comprises the territory of the civil district of Kannur to the north of Mahé River, excluding Pallur, Chelakara, Panthakal and Chenkallai which belong to the municipality of Mahe and the territory of the civil district of Kasaragod which falls to the south of Chandragiri River. The erection of this diocese was a historical event for Kannur which has 500 years of Christian tradition. The establishment of this diocese, on the auspicious occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of the Diocese of Calicut was welcomed with cheer, by the people who consider the diocese of Kannur as a gift of God to this region of India.
Although Christian communities existed in South and Central Kerala from the beginning of Christianity, North Kerala known as Malabar had to wait long for the advent of the European missionaries to start their evangelization until the 16th century. It was with the advent of the Portuguese sailor, Vasco de Gama who landed here on 20 May 1498, that the missionaries had access to this area. Fr. Pedro de Kovilaham, the first missionary who came to Malabar with Vasco de Gama died on 31 July 1498. As the Portuguese traders could not get along with the ruler of Calicut, "the Zamorin", they moved to Kannur and the "Kolathiri", king of Kannur welcomed them.
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Wikipedia