Neha Patil (Editor)

Roman Catholic Diocese of Mweka

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Metropolitan
  
Kananga

Pope
  
Francis

Area
  
21,700 km²

Rite
  
Latin Rite

Bishop
  
Gérard Mulumba Kalemba

Country
  
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Population - Total - Catholics
  
(as of 2001) 420,000 196,500 (46.8%)

Ecclesiastical province
  
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kananga

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mweka (Latin: Mvekaën(sis)) is a Latin suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of The Metropolitan of Kananga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, yer depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Contents

Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathédrale Saint-Martin, in the city of Mweka in West Kasai province.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 346,580 Catholics (41.2% of 840,645 total) on 21,700 km² in 14 parishes with 43 priests (32 diocesan, 11 religious), 34 lay religious (21 brothers, 13 sisters) and 35 seminarians.

History

  • Established on 1953.03.24 as Apostolic Prefecture of Mweka, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Luluabourg
  • Promoted on September 29, 1964 as Diocese of Mweka.
  • Ordinaries

    (all Latin Rite)

    Apostolic Prefects of Mweka
  • Apostolic administrator Bernard Mels, Scheutists (C.I.C.M.), while Titular Bishop of Belali (1949.03.10 – 1959.11.10) & Apostolic Vicar of Luluabourg (Congo-Kinshasa) (1949.03.10 – 1959.11.10), later promoted that see's first Metropolitan Archbishop (1959.11.10 – 1967.09.26), then Archbishop-Bishop of Lwiza (Congo-Kinshasa) (1967.09.26 – retired 1970.10.03), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Pulcheriopolis (1970.10.03 – resigned 1986.05.17), died 1992
  • Marcel Evariste van Rengen, Josephites of Belgium (C.I.) (1957 – 1964.09.29 'see below)
  • Suffragan Bishops of Mweka
  • Marcel Evariste van Rengen, C.I. (see above 1964.09.29 – death 1988.03.15)
  • Apostolic administrator Emery Kabongo Kanundowi (1988 – 1989.01.19), while Archbishop-Bishop of Luebo (Congo-Kinshasa) (1987.12.10 – retired 2003.08.14); previously Second Private Secretary of the Pope (1982 – 1987.12.10)
  • Gérard Mulumba Kalemba (1989.01.19 - 2017.02.18)
  • Oscar Nkolo Kanowa, Scheutists (C.I.C.M.) (2017.02.18 – ...)
  • References

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Mweka Wikipedia