The Roman Catholic Diocese of Laghouat (Latin: Dioecesis Laghuatensis) is a Latin Catholic diocese, covering the sparsely populated Saharan inland of Algeria.
It is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastical province), and depends on the misisonary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Its episcopal see is the Pro-Cathedral in Ghardaïa, but it also had a former Cathedral (now secularized): Ex-church of Saint-Hilarion, in the eponymous city of Laghouat.
Established on July 19, 1901 as Apostolic Prefecture of Ghardaïa on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Sahara and Sudan (now the Archdiocese of Bamako in present Mali), also a pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction.
Renamed on January 10, 1921 as Apostolic Prefecture of Ghardaïa in the Sahara (or in Italian Ghardaïa nel Sahara
Promoted on June 10, 1948 as Apostolic Vicariate of Ghardaïa in the Sahara, hence entitled to a titular bishop
On July 5, 1954, it lost western territory to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara and Ifni (now of Western Sahara)
September 14, 1955: Promoted as Diocese of Laghouat
As per 2014, it pastorally served 1,200 Catholics (0.0% of 4,416,000 total) on 2,107,708 km² in 10 parishes, 15 priests (3 diocesan, 12 religious), 46 lay religious (17 brothers, 29 sisters) .
(all Roman rite; so far all missionaries, notably European members of a Latin congregation, the White Fathers (M. Afr.)
Apostolic Prefects of Ghardaïa
Apostolic Administrator Cardinal Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie (born France) (1891.03.13 – death 1892.11.25), while Metropolitan Archbishop of Algiers (Algeria) (1867.03.27 – 1892.11.25), Archbishop of Carthage (Tunisia) (1884.11.10 – 1892.11.25), Apostolic Administrator of Apostolic Vicariate of Tunis (Tunisia) (1881.06.28 – 1884.11.10) and created Cardinal-Priest of S. Agnese fuori le mura (1882.07.03 – 1892.11.25); previously Bishop of Nancy (France) (1863.03.16 – 1867.03.27), Founder of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) (1868), Apostolic Administrator of Oran (Algeria) (1875.11.09 – 1876.04.03)
Father Charles Guérin (born France) (1901 – death 1910)
Fr. Henry Bardou (born France) (1911 – death 1916)
Fr. Louis David (born France) (1916 – death 1919)
Fr. Gustave-Jean-Marie Nouet, White Fathers (M. Afr.) (born France) (1919.04.08 – 1921.01.10 see below)
Apostolic Prefects of Ghardaïa in the Sahara
Fr. Gustave-Jean-Marie Nouet, M. Afr. (see above 1921.01.10 – death 1941)
Georges-Louis Mercier, M. Afr. (1941 – 1948.06.10 see below)
Apostolic Vicar of Ghardaïa in the Sahara
Georges-Louis Mercier, M. Afr. (born France) (see above 1948.06.10 – 1955.09.14 see below), Titular Bishop of Celerina (1948.06.21 – 1955.09.14)
Exempt Bishops of Laghouat
Georges-Louis Mercier, M. Afr. (see above 1955.09.14 – 1968.01.11), afterward Titular Bishop of Furnos Minor (1968.01.11 – 1976.10.13)
Jean-Marie Michel Arthur Alix Zacharie Raimbaud, M. Afr. (born France) (1968.01.11 – death 1989.06.25)
Michel-Joseph-Gérard Gagnon, M. Afr. (born Canada) (1991.02.04 – death 2004.06.01), previously Bishop of Djibouti (Djibouti) (1980.03.28 – 1987.07.03)
Apostolic Administrator Michel Larbubu, M. Afr. (2004.04.29 – 2004.10.26), no other prelature
Claude Jean Narcisse Rault, M. Afr. (born France) (2004.10.26 - retired 2017.03.16)
Bishop-elect John Gordon MacWilliam, M. Afr. (born England, UK) (2017.03.16 – ... ), no prior prelature
