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Archdiocese of Izmir

Smyrnen(sis)

The Archdiocese of Izmir is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in western Turkey, tracing to the Latin Archdiocese of Smyrna of 1346 and elevated to a metropolitan see in 1818. Its current archbishop is Martin Kmetec, appointed in 2020.

The see

Rank
Metropolitan see
Tradition
Latin Church
Erected
1346
Latin
Smyrnen(sis)
Patron
Saint Polycarp
Annuario code
001001700

The see in figures

Catholics
5,000
Priests
17
Catholics per priest
294

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

Archbishop
Martin Kmetec
Born
10 November 1956
Birthplace
Ptuj
Institute
ORDINE FRANCESCANO FRATI MINORI CONVENTUALI

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. John's Cathedral, Izmir stands in Izmir, 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 Izmir

This see is the metropolitan of its province.

On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.

History

In Anatolia, the Asian portion of Turkey, the Roman Catholic Church maintains the Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of İzmir (Latin: Archidioecesis Smyrnensis). Its archbishop's seat, the cathedral motherchurch, is St. John's Cathedral, and within its bounds lies a World Heritage Site, the Meryem Ana Evi on Bülbüldağı. On 8 December 2020 Pope Francis named Martin Kmetec OFMConv as Archbishop of İzmir.

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Sources

The see's own website · Wikipedia · GCatholic

Compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. Corrections: hello@catholicintelligence.com.