Archdiocese of Toliara

Archdiocese of Toliara

Archidioecesis Toliarana
Toliara Cathedral
Location
CountryMadagascar
HeadquartersToliara, Atsimo-Andrefana, Madagascar
Statistics
Area43,570 km2 (16,820 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2022)
  • 1,312,000
  • 187,000 (14.3%)
Parishes28
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established8 April 1957 (1957-04-08)
CathedralCathedral of St. Vincent de Paul
Secular priests75
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
Metropolitan ArchbishopGustavo Bombín Espino, O.Ss.T.
Bishops emeritusFulgence Rabeony S.J.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toliara (Latin: Toliarana) is one of five Metropolitan archdioceses with an Ecclesiastical province in Madagascar, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is in Toliara (formerly Tuléar).

Ecclesiastical province

Its Suffragan sees are :

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 119,638 Catholics (11.8% of 1,014,000 total) on 43,570 km2 in 23 parishes and 1 mission with 63 priests (26 diocesan, 37 religious), 373 lay religious (68 brothers, 305 sisters) and 18 seminarians.

History

  • Established 8 April 1957 as Diocese of Tuléar, on territty split off from the Diocese of Fort-Dauphin
  • Renamed 28 October 1989 like its see as Diocese of Toliara
  • Promoted 3 December 2003 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toliara

Bishops

Monument of the foundation of the diocesis

Ordinaries

(all Roman rite)

Suffragan Bishops of Tuléar
  • Michel-Henri Canonne, A.A. (25 April 1959 – 28 February 1974), retired
  • René Joseph Rakotondrabé (28 February 1974 – 15 May 1989), appointed Bishop of Tamatave
Suffragan Bishops of Toliara
  • Fulgence Rabeony, S.J. (2 April 1990 – 3 December 2003 see below)
Metropolitan Archbishops of Toliara
  • Fulgence Rabeony, S.J. (see above 3 December 2003 – 22 July 2023), retired
    • Apostolic Administrator Fulgence Rabeony, S.J. (22 July 2023 – 1 October 2023)
  • Gustavo Bombín Espino, O.Ss.T. (22 July 2023 – Present)

Auxiliary Bishop

See also

23°20′46″S 43°40′00″E / 23.34611°S 43.66667°E / -23.34611; 43.66667