Roman Catholic Church in Botswana

The diocese of Gaborone in the south and the Vicariate Apostolic Francistown in the north of the country

The Roman Catholic Church in Botswana consists of around five percent of the population.

Until 1959, the British protectorate of Bechuanaland was divided into three ecclesiastical administrative areas: the Diocese of Bulawayo , based in Southern Rhodesia , the Diocese of Kimberley , based in the Union of South Africa, and the Vicariate Apostolic of Windhoek , based in South West Africa .

In 1959 the Apostolic Prefecture Bechuanaland was established, to which the entire area of ​​Bechuanaland was assigned. When the protectorate became independent under the name of Botswana , the prefecture became the diocese of Gaborone. In 1998 the districts of Central District , Ghanzi District , North East District and North West District were assigned to the newly established Apostolic Vicariate Francistown, which was elevated to a diocese in October 2017 .

The bishops of the two areas belong to the South African Catholic Bishops' Conference together with their colleagues in South Africa and Swaziland .

About five percent of the population of Botswana (84,000 out of 1.7 million) are Catholic (as of 2004). In the diocese of Gaborone the proportion is around seven percent, in the diocese of Francistown, however, less than 1.5 percent.

Pope John Paul II visited Gaborone in September 1988.

Apostolic Nuncio to Botswana is Archbishop Peter Brian Wells ; he is also the nuncio for South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia and is based in Pretoria, South Africa .

structure

• Archdiocese of Pretoria
  • Francistown diocese
  • Diocese of Gaborone

See also

• Particular church
• Roman Catholic Church in South Africa
• List of Roman Catholic Dioceses

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Elevazione a Diocesi del Vicariato Apostolico di Francistown (Botswana) e nomina del primo Vescovo. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , October 2, 2017, accessed October 2, 2017 (Italian).