Catholic Church in Tajikistan

Last updated

The Catholic Church in Tajikistan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in Tajikistan (West Turkistan, Central Asia), under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

Contents

In 2009, the size of the community was estimated at 300 people. [1] By 2020, the number was believed to be 100 people, with 4 priests and 8 nuns across two parishes. [2] [3]

This Mission sui iuris (pre-diocesan jurisdiction, also known as Independent Mission) for the Catholics is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastical province), and comprises three churches (in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, and Vakhsh near Bokhtar), but no see.

History

In modern times the Catholic Church obtained a presence in Tajikistan through Soviet deportations, and in 1974, churches were opened in Dushanbe (St Joseph Church, Dushanbe) and Qurghonteppa. [4] Most of the early Catholics were Germans of Russian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian origin. [5] Many Catholics fled the 1990s civil war following the Soviet Union collapse. [4] In 1997, Pope John Paul II created a mission sui iuris for the country to be administered by the Institute of the Incarnate Word of Argentina. [4] On 29 September 1997, the Holy See established the Mission sui iuris on territory split off from the then Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan (shortly after promoted to Diocese of Karaganda, after missiones sui iuris were also split off for Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, all in 1997).

The Institute sent priests from South America to Tajikistan. In 2003, the Church opened a center and soup kitchen in Dushanbe for homeless children. [6] By 2004, the mission had three parishes, one mission center, five priests, four nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, and its own website. [4] In 2005, three sisters of the Servants of the Lord and Our Lady of Matara came to live in Tajikistan. [7] The Missionaries of Charity started sewing classes for young women in 2006 so they might develop skills and further their education. [8] In July 2007, Father Avila joined with the 22 non-Islamic religious groups in the country to object to a bill that would greatly restrict the activities of religious minorities. [9] In March 2008, many poor and elderly citizens queued at the nuns house in Dushanbe to receive aid from Caritas Tajikistan, Care International and United States Catholic Relief Service to survive the harsh winter. [10] In 2012, there were three Tajiks studying for the priesthood and three who wished to be nuns. [5]

Ecclesiastical superiors

So far, all its superiors were Argentina-born missionary members of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (I.V.E.)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missionaries of Charity</span> Roman Catholic religious order founded by Mother Teresa

The Missionaries of Charity is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. As of 2020, it consisted of 5,281 members religious sisters. Members of the order designate their affiliation using the order's initials, "M.C.". A member of the congregation must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and the fourth vow, to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor." Today, the order consists of both contemplative and active branches in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples</span> Dicastery of the Roman Curia

The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, or simply the Propaganda Fide. On 5 June 2022, it was merged with the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization into the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Sui iuris also spelled sui juris, is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both secular law and the Catholic Church's canon law. The term church sui iuris is used in the Catholic Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) to denote the autonomous churches in Catholic communion. The Catholic Church consists of 24 churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands</span> Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction in the Pacific

The Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands is a Latin rite apostolic prefecture, in the South Sea Republic of the Marshall Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Afghanistan</span> Roman Catholicism in Afghanistan

The Catholic Church in Afghanistan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church. There are very few Catholics/Christians in this overwhelmingly Muslim country—just over 200 attend Mass in its only chapel—and freedom of religion has been difficult to obtain in recent times, especially under the new de facto Taliban regime.

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

The Catholic Church in Azerbaijan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are about 570 local Catholics in the country as of 2016. Azerbaijan is covered entirely by a single Apostolic Prefecture – Apostolic Prefecture of Baku – since 2011. The community is served by seven Salesian priests and two friars. In addition, there is a mission of the Missionaries of Charity.

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

The Catholic Church in Bhutan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Kingdom of Bhutan falls under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Darjeeling (India).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Turkmenistan</span> Overview of the Catholic Church in Turkmenistan

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

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

The Catholic Church in Nepal is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. As of 2011 there are over 10,000 Catholics in Nepal, organized into one Catholic jurisdiction known as an apostolic vicariate.

A mission sui iuris, or in Latin missio sui iuris ; also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, can be defined as: "an ecclesial structure erected from a previous territory, with explicit boundaries, under the care of a religious community or other diocese, responding to a missionary exigency and headed by a superior nominated by the Holy See, under the aegis of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples."

Vakhsh is a city in southwestern Tajikistan. It is the capital of Vakhsh District. The population of the town is 14,900.

Mission <i>sui iuris</i> of Funafuti Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction in Tuvalu

The Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti is a Catholic Latin mission sui juris in Tuvalu, Polynesia.

Mission <i>sui iuris</i> of Tokelau Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction in Tokelau

The Roman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Tokelau in Tokelau is a suffragan mission of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia. It was formed in 1992 when the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia and Tokelau was split into the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia and the Mission Sui Iuris of Tokelau. The position of Ecclesiastical Superior is currently vacant following the death of Archbishop Alapati Lui Mata’eliga on 25 April 2023.

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

Christianity is a minority religion in Tajikistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of the Incarnate Word</span> Catholic religious institute in Argentina

The Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) (Spanish: Instituto del Verbo Encarnado) is a Catholic religious institute founded in Argentina by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela on March 25, 1984. It is a religious institute of diocesan right. The institute is the male branch of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word, a union of religious institutes founded by Buela; the other two branches are the female religious community known as the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará (SSVM) and the Secular Third Order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Catholic Archeparchy of Addis Abeba</span> Metropolitan see of the Ethiopian Catholic Church

The Ethiopian Catholic Archeparchy of Addis Abeba, officially the Metropolitan sui iuris Archeparchy of Addis Abeba is the metropolitan see of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, a sui iuris metropolitan Eastern Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Tajikistan</span>

Islam is the predominant religion in Tajikistan.

The Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan is a Roman Catholic Apostolic Administration for the Catholics of Uzbekistan.

St Joseph Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church located near Dushanbe International Airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Our Lady of Divine Providence Chapel or Chapel of the Italian Embassy in Kabul, was a religious building that was affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in Street Great Massoud, in the city of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.

References

  1. ↑ Faskhutdinov, Galim (2009-12-24). Католическая община в Таджикистане празднует Рождество (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  2. ↑ Catholics And Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-03
  3. ↑ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-03
  4. 1 2 3 4 Zenit staff (2004-10-05). "Church in Tajikistan Joins Internet". zenit.org. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  5. 1 2 Carlos Avila (2012-09-29). "Catholics celebrate the anniversary of Tajikistan's Sui Iuris mission". AsiaNews.it. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  6. ↑ Fides staff (2011-05-28). "Asia/Tajikistan - Street children and adolescents are victims of Islamic extremists". Fides. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  7. ↑ Fides staff (2005-04-26). "Asia/Tajikistan - Small Catholic community in Tajikistan welcomes three new missionaries, Sisters of the Congregation of the Servants of the Lord and Our Lady of Matara". Fides. Archived from the original on 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  8. ↑ Catholic News Agency staff (2006-11-30). "Missionaries of Charity offer Muslim girls professional training". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  9. ↑ AsiaNews.it staff (2007-07-04). "Draft law to ban religious minorities". asianews.it. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  10. ↑ Zenit staff (2008-03-05). "Catholics help Tajikistan's poor survive extreme cold". asianews.it. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  11. ↑ Catholic Hierarchy website, retrieved 2023-08-03
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.