Roman Catholic Church in Turkey

The Basikila St. Antonius in Istanbul

The Roman Catholic Church in Turkey is a minority church ( diaspora ).

Church organization

The Catholic Church on Turkish territory has seven dioceses of different rites:

• Latin rite :
  • Archdiocese of İzmir : approx. 2,000 Catholics, 10 parishes
  • Apostolic Vicariate Istanbul : approx. 15,500 Catholics, 13 parishes
  • Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia (seat İskenderun ): approx. 4,500 Catholics, 6 parishes

• Armenian rite :
  • Archeparchy of Istanbul : approx. 3,500 Catholics, 10 parishes

• Chaldean rite :
  • Diyarbakır Archeparchy (seat in Beyoğlu ): approx. 6,000 Catholics, 9 parishes

• Byzantine rite :
  • Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul : approx. 25 Catholics, 1 parish

• West Syrian Rite :
  • Patriarchal Exarchate Turkey : approx. 2,000 Catholics, 3 parishes

1868 was by Pope Pius IX. an apostolic nunciature established. Nuncio has been Archbishop Paul Fitzpatrick Russell since 2016 . The chairman of the Turkish Bishops' Conference (CCEE) was Bishop Luigi Padovese OFMCap from 2008 until his death in June 2010 .

Legal situation

Since the Catholic Church in Turkey does not have its own training opportunities for candidates for priesthood, the priests who work here are trained abroad. Of the country's 61 priests, 50 belong to a religious community and do not come from Turkey.

Another problem is the fact that the Catholic Church in Turkey has no legal status.

See also

• Particular church
• List of Roman Catholic Dioceses
• List of Roman Catholic Churches in Turkey
• Christianity in Turkey
• Religions in Turkey
• Turkish Catholic Bishops' Conference

Web links

• Entry on Roman Catholic Church in Turkey on catholic-hierarchy.org