Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia
The Archdiocese of Monrovia (Archidioecesis Monroviensis) is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Monrovia, Liberia. It follows the Latin Rite. It was elevated to an archdiocese in December 1981. It was initially established as the Prefecture Apostolic of Liberia in 1903, being separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Sierra Leone (which is now the Archdiocese of Freetown and Bo). Until Saturday, February 12, 2011, the Archdiocese of Monrovia had been headed by Michael Kpakala Francis, who had been Monrovia's Archbishop since its elevation in 1981, but Vatican Information Service (VIS) stated that he resigned that day for reasons of age and was succeeded immediately by his Coadjutor Archbishop, Lewis Jerome Zeigler (under canon law, each bishop must offer to resign when he turns 75, which may or may not be accepted then).
Archdiocese of Monrovia Archidioecesis Monroviensis | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Liberia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Monrovia |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 6,168 sq mi (15,980 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2013) 2,058,000 140,705 (6.8%) |
| Parishes | 30 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 18 April 1903 |
| Secular priests | 27 (2013) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Lewis Jerome Zeigler |
| Map | |
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According to church statistics, the percentage of Catholics under the Archdiocese has risen to 8.2% of the total population in 2004 out of a total of approximately 1.6 million people.
The Diocese of Cape Palmas was created from it in 1981. The Diocese of Gbarnga was created from it in 1986.
Bishops
Prefect Apostolic of Liberia
- Father Jean Ogé, SMA (3 January 1911 – 16 November 1931)
- Father John Collins, SMA (26 February 1932 – 9 April 1934); see below
Vicar Apostolic of Liberia
- John Collins, SMA (9 April 1934 – 2 February 1950); see above & below
Vicars Apostolic of Monrovia
- John Collins, SMA (2 February 1950 – 20 December 1960); see above
- Francis Carroll, SMA (20 December 1960 – 28 October 1976); concurrent with this, became nuncio in 1961 and titular archbishop in 1964
- Michael Kpakala Francis (28 October 1976 – 19 December 1981); see below
Archbishops of Monrovia
- Michael Kpakala Francis (19 December 1981 – 12 February 2011); see above
- Lewis Jerome Zeigler (12 February 2011 – present)
Coadjutor Archbishop
- Lewis Jerome Zeigler (2009-2011)
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Lewis Jerome Zeigler (priest here, 1974-1986), appointed Bishop of Gbarnga in 2002; later returned here as Coadjutor
