Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Vila

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.