Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara

Archeparchy of Asmara Archieparchia Asmarensis
St. Joseph's Cathedral
Location
Country	Eritrea
Ecclesiastical province	Asmara
Statistics
Area
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 3,934,000 67,314 (1.7%)
Parishes	58
Information
Denomination	Eritrean Catholic Church
Rite	Ge'ez Rite
Established	4 July 1930 (94 years ago)
Cathedral	St. Joseph's Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Archbishop	Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I.
Emeritus Bishops	Zekarias Yohannes
Map

The Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara (Latin: Archieparchia Asmarensis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Asmara in Eritrea.

Its Metropolitan, currently archeparch Menghesteab Tesfamariam, is the head of the single-province Eritrean Catholic Church, which follows the Alexandrian rite, like the Copts of Egypt. The Eritrean Church uses the Ge'ez language liturgically, like the neighboring Ethiopian Catholic Church, from part of whose jurisdiction the Eritrean Church was erected. It is the Eastern Catholic counterpart of the (Coptic) Eritrean Orthodox Church, which is headed by a patriarch, whose see is also in Asmara.

History

On 4 July 1930, Pope Pius XI established the Ordinariate of Eritrea. Pope Pius XII elevated it as the Apostolic Exarchate of Asmara on 31 October 1951. Blessed John XXIII elevated it to an eparchy on 20 February 1961.

It lost territory on 21 December 1995 when the Eparchies of Barentu and Keren were established. It lost territory again in 2012 when the Eparchy of Segheneity was established.

In January 2015 Pope Francis erected the metropolitan sui iuris Eritrean Catholic Church and elevated the Eparchy of Asmara to the dignity of Archeparchy. All three aforementioned dioceses founded from Asmara's territory are now its suffragan eparchies.

Ordinaries

Ethiopian Catholic Church

Vicar Apostolic

• Kidanè-Maryam Cassà † (4 July 1930 – 1 September 1951)

Apostolic Exarchs

• Ghebre Jesus Jacob † (24 February 1951 – February 1958)
• Asrate Mariam Yemmeru † (3 February 1958 - 9 April 1961) Appointed, Archbishop of Addis Abeba

Eparchs

• François Abraha † (9 April 1961 - 17 July 1984 )
• Zekarias Yohannes (17 July 1984 - 25 June 2001 )
• Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. (25 June 2001–19 January 2015)

Eritrean Catholic Church

Metropolitan and archeparch

• Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. (19 January 2015–present)

Suffragan dioceses

• Eparchy of Keren
• Eparchy of Barentu
• Eparchy of Segheneiti

External links

• GCatholic
• WorldStatesmen- religious organisations