The Catholic Church in the Cape Verde is part of the worldwide
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, under the spiritual leadership of the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. There are over 430,000 Catholics in the country which represents over 90% of the total population. The country is divided into two dioceses:
and
Santiago de Cabo Verde.
History
The Catholic Church was established by Portuguese traders in 1533 on the island.
[ Diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Cape Verde were established in 1976.][ In 2011, an agreement was signed between the Government of Cape Verde and the Vatican creating a legal foundation for the Catholic Church in the country, allowed for Catholic schools, and a church role in formalizing marriages.]Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
made Bishop Arlindo Gomes the first Cardinal from Cape Verde.
See also
* Christianity in Cape Verde
References
External links
GigaCatholic Information
Cape Verde
{{RC-country-stub