The Catholic Church in Angola is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Catholicism was introduced to Angola by the Portuguese explorers since 1491 when the first missionaries arrived. [1]
Many of the missionaries saw themselves as Portuguese, rather than integrating into Angolan society. Non-Portuguese missionaries were required to renounce the laws of their own country and submit to Portuguese law, as well as prove their ability to speak and write the Portuguese language. [2] The Colonial Act of 1930 advanced the view that Portuguese Catholic missions to the country were "instruments of civilization and national influence". [2]
The last census in 2014 noted that 56.4% of the Angolan population identified as Roman Catholic. [3]
As of 2020, approximately 53.85% [4] [5] of the population professed the Catholic faith, due largely to Angola's history as a former Portuguese colony.
The Catholic Church has 19 dioceses in Angola, including 5 archdioceses. [6] All the bishops are members of the regional Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé.
The Catholic University of Angola opened in 1998. [7]
In 2020, the Vatican noted that there are over 1200 priests and 2200 nuns in Angola, serving 469 parishes and 44 Catholic hospitals. [8]
The Catholic radio station Ecclesia is broadcast in 16 of Angola's 18 provinces. Vatican Radio and Maria Radio also operate in the country. [9]
The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The Portuguese Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Portugal, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome, under the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. The Catholic Church is the world's largest Christian organisation. It is Portugal's largest religion and its former state religion, and has existed in the territory since the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Roman Empire.
Christians in Bangladesh account for 0.30% of the nation's population as of 2022 census. Together with Judaism and Buddhism, they account for 1% of the population. Islam accounts for 91.04% of the country's religion, followed by Hinduism at 7.95% as per 2022 census.
The Catholic Church in Bangladesh is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. As of 2016, there are approximately 350,000, approximately 0.2 percent of the population of Bangladesh. About 60% of Catholics come from "tribals", members of minority tribes. By 2022, there were 400,000 Catholics in the country. Bangladesh is otherwise a predominantly Muslim country.
The Catholic Church in Zambia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Catholic Church in Djibouti is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Apostolic Nuncio to Trinidad and Tobago is, since November 2017, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, who is also Apostolic Nuncio to other independent states and Apostolic Delegate to the Antilles.
The Italian Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Italy, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome, under the Conference of Italian Bishops. The pope serves also as Primate of Italy and Bishop of Rome. In addition to Italy, two other sovereign states are included in Italian dioceses: San Marino and the Vatican City. There are 225 dioceses in the Catholic Church in Italy, see further in this article and in the article List of Catholic dioceses in Italy.
The Catholic Church in Japan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. As of 2021, there were approximately 431,100 Catholics in Japan, 6,200 of whom are clerics, religious and seminarians. Japan has 15 dioceses, including three metropolitan archdioceses, with 34 bishops, 1,235 priests, and 40 deacons spread out across 957 churches.
The Catholic Church in South Korea is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Catholic Church in Morocco is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholics account less than 1% of the overall population of over 31 million. The country is divided into two archdioceses; Rabat and Tangier.
The Archdiocese of Huambo is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Angola.
The population of Angola is more than 92% Christian as of 2023.
Christianity in Angola has existed since 1491. Today 80% of Angolans practise some form of Christianity.
Religion in Angola is diverse, with Christianity being the most widely professed faith. Roman Catholics constitute 41% of the population. Other Christian denominations include Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Reformed Churches and Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses - all these denominations making up about 43% of the population.
The Catholic Church in São Tomé and Príncipe is part of the Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome and forms the largest religion in the country. A majority of the residents São Tomé and Príncipe adhere to Catholicism.
Gabriel Mbilingi C.S.Sp., is the current Angolan Archbishop of Lubango. Since 20 November 2009 he is the president of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Principe, short named CEAST.
Christianity in Equatorial Guinea dates back to pre-independence, when Equatorial Guinea was a colony of Portugal and Spain. In 2023 almost 90% of the population are Christian. Of these 71% are Roman Catholics, though there are also a few thousand Protestants, mainly from the Reformed Church, but also Methodists and Presbyterians.
Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti C.S.Sp. is an Angolan prelate of the Catholic Church who has been bishop of Cabinda since 2018. He serves as the spokesperson for Angolan bishops on political and social affairs, and for his social media presence has been called the bishop of the diocese of Facebook.
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