Diocese of Jaffna
Iaffnen(sis)
Suffragan diocese · Latin Church · Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Latin diocese in northern Sri Lanka, established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Jaffna on 17 February 1845 from the Diocese of Ceylon and promoted to a diocese on 1 September 1886, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Colombo. Its cathedral is St. Mary's Cathedral in Jaffna.
The see
- Rank
- Suffragan diocese
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 1 September 1886
- Latin
- Iaffnen(sis)
- Annuario code
- 001001708
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 247,315
- Population
- 1,637,000
- Catholic shareof the people living within its bounds
- 15.1%
- Priests
- 162
- Catholics per priest
- 1,527
- Extent
- 4,400 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 56
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Bishop
- Justin Gnanapragasam
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna stands in Jaffna, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Colombo
A suffragan of Archdiocese of Colombo.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of AnuradhapuraAnuradhapura
- Diocese of BadullaBadulla
- Diocese of BatticaloaBatticaloa
- Diocese of ChilawChilaw
- Diocese of GalleGalle
- Diocese of KandyKandy
- Diocese of KurunegalaKurunegala
- Diocese of MannarMannar
- Diocese of RatnapuraRatnapura
- Diocese of TrincomaleeTrincomalee
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
In northern Sri Lanka, the Latin Church is organized as the Diocese of Jaffna (Latin: Dioecesis Jaffnensis). Latin Catholicism in this territory reaches back to the days of Francis Xavier. Justin Gnanapragasam serves as the current bishop.
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The see's own website · Wikipedia
Compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. Corrections: hello@catholicintelligence.com.