Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabat

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabat (Latin: Archidioecesis Rabatensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Morocco. It was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Rabat on July 2, 1923, by Pope Pius XI, and promoted to the rank of an archdiocese by Pope Pius XII on September 14, 1955.

Archdiocese of Rabat

Archidioecesis Rabatensis

Archidiocèse de Rabat
Location
CountryMorocco
TerritoryRabat, northern Morocco
Statistics
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2014)
28,860,000
21,000 (.1%)
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteRoman Rite
Established14 September 1955
CathedralSt. Peter's Cathedral
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopCristóbal López Romero S.D.B.
Vicar GeneralDaniel Nourissat
Bishops emeritusVincent Landel, S.C.I.
Map
Website
www.dioceserabat.org

The archdiocese's mother church and seat of its archbishop is St. Peter's Cathedral, Rabat. Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B. was appointed as the Archbishop of Rabat on December 29, 2017.

Role in society

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In the 1950s, the bishop and most clergy were in favour of the country's independence, contrary to the vast majority of French colonialists. The bishops were also crucial in the foundation of monastic communities in Morocco. The monastery of Toumliline was founded by 20 Benedictine monks of the abbey of En-Calcat upon invitation of the bishop Louis Lefèbvre.[1]

 
St. Peter's Cathedral, Rabat

In January 26, 1988, upon invitation of bishop Hubert Michon, two Trappist monks established a community of monks in Fez which later would move to Midelt and became the Priory of Our Lady of the Atlas.[2] In 2015, the diocese became owner of the monastery of Tazert after the previous congregation of Poor Clares left. A new community of Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi took over the monastery in 2019 under the auspices of archbishop Cristóbal López Romero.[3]

Bishops

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Ordinaries

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Vicars Apostolic of Rabat

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  1. Victor Colomban Dreyer, O.F.M Cap. (1923–1927), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Canale di Suez {Suez Canal}, Egypt
  2. Henri Vielle, O.F.M. (1927–1946)
  3. Louis Lefèbvre, O.F.M. (1947–1955 see below)

Archbishops of Rabat

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  1. Louis Lefèbvre, O.F.M. (see above 1955–1968)
  2. Jean Chabbert, O.F.M. (1968–1982), appointed Archbishop (personal title) of Perpignan-Elne, France
  3. Hubert Michon (1983–2001)
  4. Vincent Landel, S.C.J. (2001–2017)
  5. Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B. (2017– present ) (Cardinal in 2019)

Coadjutor Archbishops

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Auxiliary Bishop

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pont, Daniel (June 2022). "Pont Toumliline English - DIMMID". dimmid.org. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  2. ^ Flachaire, Jean-Pierre (2006). "Le monastère Notre Dame de l'Atlas au Maroc" (PDF). Collectanea Cisterciensia. 68: 1–18. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  3. ^ Zengarini, Lisa (18 December 2019). "Marocco: torna a nuova vita il Monastero della Visitazione di Tazert - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va (in Italian). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
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34°02′00″N 6°50′00″W / 34.0333°N 6.8333°W / 34.0333; -6.8333