Ecclesiastical province Lisbon Parishes 52 Established January 12, 1514 Cathedral Cathedral of Funchal Country Portugal | Metropolitan Patriarchate of Lisbon Rite Roman Rite Area 800 km² Phone +351 291 782 688 | |
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Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2006)
282,000
270,000 (95.7%) Address Largo do Visc. Ribeiro Real, 9000-025 Funchal, Portugal Similar Albergaria Catedral, Empresa Jornal da Madeira, Horários Do Funchal Transport | ||
The Diocese of Funchal (Latin: Dioecesis Funchalensis) was created originally on January 12, 1514, by bull Pro excellenti præeminentia of Pope Leo X, following the elevation of Funchal from a village to the status of town (cidade), by King Manuel I of Portugal (royal mandate of August 21, 1508). The new diocese was a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lisbon.
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Nineteen years later, on January 31, 1533, it was elevated to Archiepiscopal rank, becoming during twenty two years, the largest Metropolitan ecclesiastical province (territorial) in the world, where it had the following suffragan dioceses: Azores, Brazil, Africa and Goa. The first (and only) Archbishop was D. Martinho of Portugal (with the title of Primate). On July 3, 1551, a restructuring of the dioceses of Portugal and the Portuguese empire, led to the extinction of the Archdiocese of Funchal and its return to diocesan status. In 1570, Funchal was once more made a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lisbon (later Patriarchate), as it remains today.
None of the first three bishops appointed ever physically visited Madeira; only the fourth, Frei Jorge de Lemos, took personally possession of the episcopal Cathedra.
Until the 20th century, the bishops of Funchal used the title of Bishop of Madeira, of Porto Santo, of Desertas and of Arguim. The seat of the Diocese of Funchal is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assunção).
On March 8, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed António José Cavaco Carrilho as Bishop of Funchal, until then Auxiliary Bishop of Porto. On 17th May, 2014, Pope Francis nominated Cardinal Fernando Filoni to preside over the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese.