Archdiocese of Libreville
Liberopolitan(us)
Metropolitan see · Latin Church · Libreville, Gabon
The Archdiocese of Libreville is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese covering Gabon, with origins in 1842 and elevated to an archdiocese in 1958. Its archbishop since 2020 is Jean-Patrick Iba-Ba, with four suffragan dioceses.
The see
- Rank
- Metropolitan see
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 11 December 1958
- Latin
- Liberopolitan(us)
- Annuario code
- 001001996
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 289,500
- Population
- 553,777
- Catholic share
- 52.3%
- Priests
- 110
- Catholics per priest
- 2,632
- Extent
- 41,370 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 7.0
of the people living within its bounds
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
- Jean-Patrick Iba-Ba
- Born
- 18 April 1966
- Birthplace
- Libreville
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
Cathedrale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption stands in Libreville, 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 Libreville
This see is the metropolitan of its province.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of FrancevilleFranceville
- Diocese of MouilaMouila
- Diocese of OyemOyem
- Diocese of Port-GentilPort-Gentil
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
All of Gabon falls within the Latin ecclesiastical province headed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Libreville (French: Archidiocèse catholique romain de Libreville), its metropolitan see. Its cathedral is the Cathédrale Notre Dame de l'Assomption in Libreville, the national capital, which also holds a former cathedral of the same name; both are dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].