Diocese of Sao Tome and Principe

Diocese of Sao Tome and Principe
Basic data
Country	Sao Tome and Principe
Metropolitan bishopric	Immediate
Diocesan bishop	Manuel António Mendes dos Santos CMF
Emeritus diocesan bishop	Abílio Rodas de Sousa Ribas CSSp
surface	1,001 km²
Parishes	13 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 )
Residents	151,000 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 )
Catholics	110,985 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 )
proportion of	73.5%
Diocesan priest	2 (December 31, 2007 / AP2008 )
Religious priest	8 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 )
Catholics per priest	11,099
Permanent deacons	2 (December 31, 2007 / AP2008 )
Friars	12 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 )
Religious sisters	42 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 )
rite	Roman rite
Liturgical language	Portuguese
cathedral	Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Graça
Website	http://www.ceastangola.org/dioceses/sao-tome/sao-tome_0_127.html

The Bistum São Toméan ( lat. : Dioecesis Sancti Thomae in Insulation ) is an on São Toméan preferred Roman Catholic diocese based in Sao Tome and includes the state Sao Tome Principe.

history

Pope Paul III founded on November 3, 1534 with the bull Aequum reputamus, the diocese from cession of territory of the Archdiocese of Funchal and subordinated it to the Archdiocese of Lisbon as a suffragan diocese .

On November 16, 1616 it became part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Bahia . With the Apostolic Constitution Quae olim on January 13, 1844, it again became part of the ecclesiastical province of the Patriarchate of Lisbon . Later it was immediately given to the Holy See .

It lost parts of its territory in favor of the establishment of the following dioceses:

• May 20, 1596 to the diocese of Angola and Congo ;
• January 21, 1612 to the Apostolic Administration of Mozambique ;
• June 8, 1818 to the Vicariate Apostolic Cape of Good Hope ;
• January 22, 1842 to the Vicariate Apostolic of the Two Guineas and Senegambias .

statistics

Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Graça

year	population			priest				Permanent deacons	Religious		Parishes
	Catholics	Residents	%	Total number	Diocesan priest	Religious priest	Catholics per priest		Friars	Religious sisters
1950	36,149	60,540	59.7	9	1	8th	4.016		8th		10
1969	59,572	63,485	93.8	15th		15th	3,971		17th	16	6th
1978	70,000	83,000	84.3	7th	1	6th	10,000		7th	15th	12
1988	96,500	104,500	92.3	8th		8th	12,062		15th	21st	12
1999	104,753	127,500	82.2	10		10	10,475		14th	36	12
2000	107.147	129,272	82.9	11	2	9	9,740		18th	39	12
2001	109,300	131,425	83.2	12	2	10	9,108		19th	40	12
2002	117,889	133,425	88.4	8th		8th	14,736		15th	38	12
2003	118,800	135,000	88.0	10	2	8th	11,880		15th	38	12
2004	121,931	138,000	88.4	9	2	7th	13,547		15th	36	12
2007	110,985	151,000	73.5	10	2	8th	11,098	2	12	42	12

See also

• List of Roman Catholic Dioceses
• List of Bishops of Sao Tome and Principe
• Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé

Web links

• Entry on catholic-hierarchy.org (English)
• Entry on Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe on Giga-Catholic (English)