Catholic Church in Ivory Coast

Last updated

Catholic Church in Ivory Coast
Cichapelle2.JPG
The Cathédrale Saint-Augustin in Yamoussoukro
Type National polity
Classification Catholic
Orientation Latin, Maronite
Pope Francis
Apostolic Nuncio Mauricio Rueda Beltz [1]
Region Ivory Coast
Membersca. 2,800,000

The Catholic Church in Ivory Coast is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholicism arrived in Ivory Coast through the arrival of French settlers.

Contents

The Catholic Church is the world's largest Christian church, and its largest religious grouping. There are an estimated 2.8 million baptised Catholics in Ivory Coast, 17.2% of the population (according to the 2014 Census), [2] in 15 dioceses. There are 2,000 priests and 1,200 men and women in religious orders. [3]

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Yamoussoukro, is the largest church in the world, larger even than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Cote d'Ivoire map.png

History

Origins

In 1634, the first missionaries, six Capuchin firars from Saint-Malo, landed at Abiany, today called Assinie. Though they were initially welcomed by the locals, the mission failed as four of the priests died due to fever and the remaining two fled to the Portuguese fort in Axim in 1638. [4]

Modernity

In 1961, upon invitation from local Catholics participating at the "International Meetings" at the monastery of Toumliline, the Benedictine established the monastery of St. Marie de Bouake. [5] The Capuchins maintain again a presence in the country since December 1976, and the mission was proclaimed a Custody on 1 January 1984. [6] Bernard Yago became the first cardinal of the country on 2 February 1983 when he was consecrated by Pope John Paul II as Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono. [7] He was one of the few priests in the Ivory Coast who openly opposed the construction of the gargantuan basilica, modeled on St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, built by the former president Félix Houphouët-Boigny in his home village of Yamoussoukro because of the enormous waste of hundreds of millions of dollars, and attempted to persuade Pope John Paul II from consecrating it during his visit to the country. [8]

Due to the presence of around 3,000 Lebanese Maronites, there is also a Maronite parish in Abidjan that was founded in 1954 by the Lebanese Maronite Order. The parish belongs to the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of the Annunciation. [9] [10]

Organisation

Within Ivory Coast the hierarchy consists of:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamoussoukro</span> Capital of Côte dIvoire

Yamoussoukro is the de jure capital of Côte d'Ivoire and an autonomous district. As of the 2014 census, Yamoussoukro is the fifth most populous city in Côte d'Ivoire with a population of 212,670. Located 240 kilometers (150 mi) north-west of Abidjan, the district of Yamoussoukro covers 2,075 square kilometers (801 sq mi) among rolling hills and plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Our Lady of Peace</span> Church in Yamoussoukro, Côte dIvoire

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is a Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, the administrative capital of la Côte d'Ivoire. Guinness World Records lists it as the largest church in the world, having surpassed the previous record holder, Saint Peter's Basilica, upon completion. It has an area of 30,000 square metres (320,000 sq ft) and is 158 metres (518 ft) tall. However, it also includes a rectory and a villa, which are not strictly part of the church. It can accommodate 18,000 worshippers, compared to 60,000 for St. Peter's. Ordinary liturgies conducted at the basilica are usually attended by only a few hundred people. The basilica is administered by Polish Pallottines at a cost of US$1.5 million annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Agré</span>

Bernard Agré was the archbishop of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and a cardinal of the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Egypt</span>

The Catholic Church in Egypt is considerably small as compared to the rest of the Christian population in Egypt, which is a significant minority among Muslims. The Catholic population in Egypt is said to have begun during the British control of Egypt. However, many emigrated after the 1952 Revolution in Egypt, which also caused the overthrow and exile of King Farouk of Egypt. Catholics in Egypt belong to seven distinct ritual Particular Churches sui iuris, the largest being the Coptic Catholic Church, led by its Patriarch of Alexandria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Syria</span>

The Catholic Church in Syria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Buenos Aires</span> Latin Catholic archdiocese in Argentina

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Buenos Aires is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Argentina. It is a metropolitan archdiocese with 13 suffragan sees in the country, including two Eastern Catholic eparchies.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bouaké is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Bouaké in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand-Bassam is a diocese located in the city of Grand-Bassam in the ecclesiastical province of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Abengourou is a diocese located in the city of Abengourou in the ecclesiastical province of Bouaké in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Yamoussoukro is a diocese located in the city of Yamoussoukro in the ecclesiastical province of Bouaké in Côte d'Ivoire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Yago</span> Ivorian cardinal

Bernard Yago was an Ivorian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Abidjan from 1960 to 1994 and was made cardinal in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles</span> Eastern Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the United States

The Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, is a Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church eparchy of the Catholic Church headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with jurisdiction over the Maronite faithful in the western and central United States. In conformity with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO), the Eparchy is under the direct jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff. In 2013 there were 52,300 baptized. It is currently ruled by eparch Abdallah Elias Zaidan, MLM.

The Episcopal Conference of Côte d'Ivoire is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in Côte d'Ivoire. Founded in 1970, the Episcopal Conference has been officially recognized on February 16, 2007 by the Ivorian state. It includes all the Catholic bishops of the country, ordinary, and auxiliary emeritus. It has its headquarters in Abidjan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Ivory Coast</span>

Christianity in Ivory Coast is practiced by 39.8% of the population which is an increase since 2014 when it was 33.9% of the population. It dominates the south of the country.

The Eparchy of the Annunciation is an Eparchy of the Maronite Church immediately subject to the Holy See located in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Angola. Its current ordinary is Eparch Simon Faddoul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilicas in the Catholic Church</span> Ceremonial designation of church buildings

Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense. Basilicas are either major basilicas, of which there are four, all in the Diocese of Rome, or minor basilicas, of which there were 1,810 worldwide as of 2019.

References

  1. "Apostolic Nunciature to Cote d'Ivoire". GCatholic. GCatholic.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  2. "BIENVENUE SUR LE SITE DE L'INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA STATISTIQUE ( I N S ) DE COTE D'IVOIRE" (PDF). www.ins.ci.
  3. "Catholic Church in Burkina Faso". gcatholic.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  4. Sanneh, Lamin (24 March 2015). West African Christianity: The Religious Impact. Orbis Books. ISBN   978-1-60833-149-9 . Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  5. Bicknell, Julia (9 November 2022). "'Spirit of Toumliline' Interfaith Inquiry Lives On 50 Years After Moroccan Monastery Closed". Religion Unplugged. Institute for Nonprofit News. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  6. "Pan-African meeting of the major superiors of the Friars Minor Capuchin". www.ofmcap.org. Curia Generalis Fratrum Minorum Capuccinorum. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  7. III, Harris M. Lentz (2015-07-11). Popes and Cardinals of the 20th Century: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 202. ISBN   978-1-4766-2155-5.
  8. Calderisi, Robert (2013-10-08). Earthly Mission: The Catholic Church and World Development. Yale University Press. pp. 109–110. ISBN   978-0-300-19676-4.
  9. "Parishes – Maronite Eparchy – Africa". Maronity Eparchy of Africa. Maronite Eparchy – Africa. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  10. "Eparchy of Annunciation of Ibadan, Nigeria 🇳🇬 (Maronite Rite)". GCatholic. GCatholic.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.