Roman Catholic Diocese of Molegbe

Roman Catholic diocese in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Diocese of Molegbe Dioecesis Molegbensis

Location
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Metropolitan	Mbandaka-Bikoro
Statistics
Area	79,000 km² (31,000 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 1997) 3,761,732 1,879,566 (50.0%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Sede vacante
Apostolic Administrator	Joseph-Bernard Likolo Bokal’Etumba

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Molegbe (Latin: Molegben(sis)) is a suffragan Latin diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Mbandaka-Bikoro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Its cathedral episcopal see is Cathédrale Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue (St. Anthony of Padua) in the city of Molegbe.

Description

The Diocese of Molegbe encompasses a territory of approximately 79,000 square kilometers surrounding the commune of Molegbe, Nord-Ubangi province. ^[1] In 2021, 944,440 Catholics lived in the diocese, representing 53.2 percent of the region's total population.^[1]

History

Established on 7 April 1911 as Apostolic Prefecture of Belgian Ubanghi, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Belgian Congo.
28 January 1935: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Belgian Ubanghi, since entitled to a titular bishop.
Promoted on 10 November 1959 as Diocese of Molegbe, becoming a suffragan diocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro.^[1]

Ordinaries

Apostolic Prefects of Belgian Ubanghi

Fr. Fulgenzio da Gerard-Montes, OFMCap (1911 – 1930?)
Fr. Basilio Ottavio Tanghe, OFMCap (16 October 1931 – 28 January 1935)

Apostolic Vicars of Belgian Ubanghi

Basilio Ottavio Tanghe, OFMCap (28 January 1935 – 16 December 1947), Titular Bishop of Tigava (28 January 1935 – 16 December 1947)
Jean Ghislain Delcuve, OFMCap (10 June 1948 – 13 November 1958), Titular Bishop of Bargylia
Léon Théobald Delaere, OFMCap (13 November 1958 – 10 November 1959), Titular Bishop of Fessei (13 November 1958 – 10 November 1959)

Bishops of Molegbe

Léon Théobald Delaere, OFMCap (10 November 1959 – 3 August 1967), later Titular Bishop of Rusibisir (3 August 1967 – 14 September 1976)
- Apostolic Administrator Louis Nganga a Ndzando (1967 – 5 September 1968), Bishop of Lisala (Congo-Kinshasa) (25 November 1964 – 6 July 1997)
Joseph Kesenge Wandangakongu (5 September 1968 – 18 October 1997)
Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi, CICM (27 June 1998 – 23 May 2007)
Dominique Bulamatari (24 November 2009 – 1 August 2023)^[1]
Sede vacante (since 1 August 2023)
- Joseph-Bernard Likolo Bokal’Etumba [de], Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisala, has headed the diocese as Apostolic Administrator since August 2023

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Isenjia, Silas (1 August 2023). "Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of 68-Year-Old Bishop in DR Congo". ACI Africa. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.