Archdiocese of Berbérati

Archdiocese of Berbérati Archidioecesis Berberatensis Archidiocèse de Berbérati
Location
Country	Central African Republic
Headquarters	Bangui, Central African Republic
Statistics
Area	44,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2023) 534,190 257,800 (48.3%)
Parishes	20
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	28 May 1940 (1940-05-28)
Secular priests	37
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Metropolitan Archbishop	Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, S.M.A.
Map

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berbérati (Latin: Berberaten(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Berbérati, located in the western region of the Central African Republic. However it remains under the authority of the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Its episcopal see is the cathedral in Berbérati, in the Mambéré-Kadéï Prefecture (southwest, formerly Haute-Sangha). The city also has the former cathedral dedicated to Saint Anna.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 214,000 Catholics (48.3% of 443,000 total) on 44,000 km² in 16 parishes and 7 missions, with 30 priests (24 diocesan, 6 religious), 34 lay religious (10 brothers, 24 sisters) and 33 seminarians .

History

• Established on 28 May 1940 as Apostolic Prefecture of Berbérati, on territories split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Foumban (in Cameroon) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Oubangui Chari (now the Central African Republic).
• Lost territory on 9 January 1947 to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Fort-Lamy (in Chad)
• Promoted on 13 March 1952 as Apostolic Vicariate of Berbérati, hence entitled to a (titular) bishop
• 14 September 1955: Promoted as Diocese of Berbérati
• Lost territories on:
  • 9 February 1959 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Bossangoa and
  • 27 February 1978 to establish the Diocese of Bouar.
• 25 April 2026: Promoted as Archdiocese of Berbérati

Ordinaries

(all Roman rite; so far all members of missionary congregations)

Apostolic Prefect of Berbérati

• Father Pietro Alcantara da Habas, OFMCap (28 March 1941 – 1952), resigned

Apostolic Vicar of Berbérati

• Alphonse-Célestin-Basile Baud, OFMCap (10 April 1954 – 14 September 1955); see below

Suffragan Bishops of Berbérati

• Alphonse-Célestin-Basile Baud, OFMCap (14 September 1955 – 2 June 1979), resigned; see above
• Jérôme-Michel-Francis Martin, OFMCap (3 October 1987 – 17 June 1991), resigned
• Agostino Giuseppe Delfino, OFMCap (17 June 1991 – 17 June 2010), retired
• Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, SMA (14 May 2012 – 25 April 2026), first native ordinary; see below

Archbishops of Berbérati

• Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, SMA (25 April 2026 – Present); see above

Ecclesiastical province

The Ecclesiastical province has the following suffragan sees:

• Diocese of Bossangoa
• Diocese of Bouar
• Diocese of Mbaïki

See also

• Roman Catholicism in the Central African Republic

External links and sources

• GCatholic.org