Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria–Fátima explained
| Jurisdiction: | Diocese |
| Leiria–Fátima |
| Latin: | Dioecesis Leiriensis–Fatimensis |
| Local: | Diocese de Leiria–Fátima |
| Country: |  Portugal |
| Province: | Lisbon |
| Metropolitan: | Patriarchate of Lisbon |
| Area Km2: | 1,700 |
| Population: | 296,362 |
| Population As Of: | 2013 |
| Catholics: | 272,162 |
| Catholics Percent: | 91.8 |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Established: | 17 January 1918 |
| Cathedral: | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Leiria |
| Patron: | Our Lady of Fátima
St Augustine of Hippo |
| Bishop: | José Ornelas Carvalho, S.C.I. |
| Metro Archbishop: | Rui I |
| Suffragan: | for one --> |
| Archdeacon: | for one--> |
| Emeritus Bishops: | Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva Bishop Emeritus (1993-2006)
António Augusto dos Santos MartoBishop Emeritus (2006-2022) |
| Map: | Diócesis de Leiria-Fátima.svg |
| Website: | Website of the Diocese |
The Diocese of Leiria–Fátima (Latin: Dioecesis Leiriensis–Fatimensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in Portugal. It is suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Patriarchate of Lisbon.[1]
The main church of the episcopal see is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception, in Leiria. It also has two minor basilicas, both in Fátima: the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, and also a World Heritage Site: the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory, in Batalha, as a decommissioned former Cathedral (now ruined): Church of Our Lady of Pena.
History
- May 22, 1545: Established as Diocese of Leiria, on territory split off from the Diocese of Coimbra
- In 1585 it gained territory from Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lisboa, again on 1614.10.09
- Suppressed on September 30, 1881, its territories being reassigned (back) to Patriarchal See of Lisboa and to Diocese of Coimbra
- Restored on January 17, 1918 as Diocese of Leiria, regaining territories from Patriarchal See of Lisboa and Diocese of Coimbra
- On March 25, 1957 it gained territory from Patriarchal See of Lisboa
- Enjoyed Papal visits from Pope Paul VI in May 1967 and Pope John Paul II in May 1982, May 1991 and May 2000
- Renamed on May 13, 1984 as Diocese of Leiria–Fátima, however without a co-cathedral.[2]
- Enjoyed Papal visits from Pope Benedict XVI in May 2010 and Pope Francis in May 2017
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 266,792 Catholics (91.6% of 291,144 total) on 1,700 km2 in 75 parishes and 6 missions with 156 priests (92 diocesan, 64 religious), 767 lay religious (77 brothers, 690 sisters) and 6 seminarians.
Bishops
Bishops of Leiria
- Brás de Barros, C.R.S.A. (1545-1556)
- Gaspar do Casal, O.E.S.A. (1557-1579)
- António Pinheiro (1579-1582)
- Pedro de Castilho (1583-1604)
- Martim Afonso Mexia (1605-1615)
- António de Santa Maria (1616-1623)
- Francisco de Menezes (1625-1627)
- Dinis de Melo e Castro (1627-1636)
- Pedro Barbosa de Eça (1636-1640)
- Pedro Vieira da Silva (1670-1676)
- Domingos de Gusmão, O.P. (1677-1678)
- José de Lencastre, O.Carm. (1681-1694)
- Álvaro de Abranches e Noronha (1694-1746)
- Joao de Nossa Senhora (1746-1760)
- Miguel de Bulhoes e Sousa (1761-1779)
- Lourenco de Lancastre (1780-1790)
- Manuel de Aguiar (1790-1815)
- Joao Inacio de Fonseca Manso (1818-1834)
- Guilherme Henriques de Carvalho (1943-1845)
- Manuel José da Costa (1846-1851)
- Joaquim Ferreira Ferraz (1852-1873)
- José Alves Correia da Silva (1920-1957)
- João Pereira Venâncio, O.R.C. (1958-1972)
- Alberto Cosme do Amaral (1972-1984)
Bishops of Leiria-Fatima
See also
Notes
- http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dleir.html Catholic Hierarchy page
- http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/leir0.htm Diocese of Leiria – Fátima, Portugal
- News: 28 January 2022 . Leiria-Fátima: D. António Marto elogia sucessor e destaca alinhamento com o Papa . pt . 28 January 2022 . Agência Ecclesia .
Sources and external links
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