Diocese of Port-Vila Dioecesis Portus Vilensis Diocèse de Port-Vila |
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Location | |
Country | ![]() |
Ecclesiastical province | Nouméa |
Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Nouméa |
Statistics | |
Area | 11,870 km2 (4,580 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 205,000 29,500 (14,4%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 9 February 1901 (As Prefecture Apostolic of New Hebrides) 22 March 1904 (As Vicariate Apostolic of New Hebrides) 21 June 1966 (As Diocese of Port-Vila) |
Cathedral | Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Port-Vila |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Jean Bosco Baremes |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Michel-Marie-Bernard Calvet |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Port-Vila (Latin: Dioecesis Portus Vilensis; French: Diocèse de Port-Vila) in Vanuatu is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nouméa. It was erected in 1901 as the Prefecture Apostolic of New Hebrides and elevated to a Vicariate Apostolic in 1904. In 1966, it was elevated as the Diocese of Port-Vila. The first Catholic mission in Vanuatu was started in 1887 at Mele on Efate, by the Marist Father Le Forestier S.M., three other Marist priests and a brother. The greatest growth of Catholic converts took place in the North, where the French influence was strong. This was especially true in Espiritu Santo and Malekula.
Coordinates: 17°44′05″S 168°19′19″E / 17.73472°S 168.32194°E