Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau

Diocese of Macau
Dioecesis Macaonensis
天主教澳門教區
Tiānzhǔjiào Àomén jiàoqū
Location
Country Macau, China
Statistics
Area 30 km2 (12 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2013)
582,000
29,611 (5.1%)
Information
Rite Latin Rite
Cathedral Cathedral Church of Macau
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang
Vicar General Father Pedro Chung
Website
diomac.mo
Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 天主教澳門教區
Latin name
Latin Dioecesis Macaonensis

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau (Chinese: 天主教澳門教區, Tiānzhǔjiào Àomén jiàoqū) a Latin diocese, is exempt, i.e. an immediate subject of the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province.

Its cathedral episcopal see, a World Heritage Site, is the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, Cathedral Parish 大堂區, on Macau Peninsula, like the former Cathedral: Church of St. Lazarus, St. Lazarus Parish 望德堂區.

Other World Heritage Site, all on Macau Peninsula, are: Chapel of Our Lady Guia, St. Lazarus Parish 望德堂區; Church of St. Anthony, St. Anthony Parish 聖安多尼堂區,; Church of St. Augustine, St. Lawrence Parish 風順堂區; Church of St. Dominic, Cathedral Parish 大堂區; Church of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Parish 風順堂區; Seminary and Church of St. Joseph Seminary and Church of St. Joseph, St. Lawrence Parish 風順堂區; Ruins of the Church of the Mother of God, St. Paul’s College Ruins of the Church of the Mother of God, St. Paul’s College, St. Anthony Parish 聖安多尼堂區.

Its patron saints are Francis Xavier and Catherine of Siena, and its motto is Scientia et Virtus (Knowledge and Virtue).

Stephen Lee Bun-sang is the current bishop and the third Chinese bishop (the first is Domingos Lam 林家駿).

History

It was established on January 23, 1576 by the edict of Pope Gregory XIII, on vast territory split off from Roman Catholic Diocese of Malacca. It originally covered China, Japan, Vietnam and the Malay archipelago, with the exception of the Philippines. From its founding, the diocese was a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese (soon Patriarchate) of Goa, in Portuguese India.

It gradually lost most of its territory, in and around continental China:

It was made exempt in 1975, following Portugal's loss of sovereignty over Goa, its former Metropolitan.

It now only administers Macau alone, the last regions outside Macau under its administration were the parishes of Saint Joseph (Singapore) and Saint Peter (Malacca), which separated from the Diocese of Macau in 1981.

Episcopal ordinaries

(all Roman Rite)

Suffragan Bishops of Macau
Exempt Bishops of Macau (since 1975)

Parishes

The Diocese is divided in:

See also

Coordinates: 22°11′37″N 113°32′31″E / 22.1936°N 113.5420°E / 22.1936; 113.5420

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