The titular episcopal see of Arad is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...
named after the ancient city of Arad (see
Tel Arad
Tel Arad () or Tell 'Arad () is an archaeological site consisting of a lower section and a Tell (archaeology), tell or mound, located west of the Dead Sea, about west of the Israeli city of Arad, Israel, Arad in an area surrounded by mountain r ...
).
[ List of bishops a]
"Bishops"
link. Sources mention a 6th-century Bishop Stephan.
History
The titular episcopal see of Arad is named for ancient Arad, which stood at the site of
Tell 'Arad (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
) or Tel Arad (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
), in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Palestina III,
metropolinate of
Petra
Petra (; "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: or , *''Raqēmō''), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, P ...
[ (see Archbishop of Petra and ]List of Catholic titular sees
This is the official list of titular sees of the Catholic Church included in the ''Annuario Pontificio''. Archiepiscopal sees are shown in bold.
The Italian-language ''Annuario Pontificio'' devotes some 200 pages to listing these sees, with up to ...
: Petra in Palaestina). The remains of ancient Arad[ were excavated in the ]Negev
The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...
in modern Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, but apparently no remains from the relevant period have been discovered.
Titular see
The diocese was nominally restored as a titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...
of the lowest (episcopal) rank[ in 1725.
It is vacant][
* Caspar Adolph Schnernauer (1728–1733)][
* (1734–1748)][
* Andrés Cano y Junquera (1748–1749)][
* Julio Maria Pecori (d'Ameno), Franciscan (Order of Friars Minor Reform, O.F.M. Ref.; 1788–1796)][
* Friar Ignacy Houwalt (1804–1807)][
* , ]Franciscans
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
(O.F.M.) (1839–1862)[
* (1880–1881)][
* Augustine Kandathil (1911–1923) (later ]archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
)[
* Pierre Aziz Ho (1924–1929)][
* Jacob Abraham Theophilos Kalapurakal (Feb.–June 1932)][
* , ]Spiritans
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (officially the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary; ) is a religious congregation for men in the Catholic Church. Members are often known as Holy ...
(C.S.Sp.) (1933–1944)[
* , ]Capuchins
Capuchin can refer to:
*Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an order of Roman Catholic friars
*Capuchin Poor Clares, an order of Roman Catholic contemplative religious sisters
*Capuchin monkey, primates of the genus ''Cebus'' and ''Sapajus'', named af ...
(O.F.M. Cap.) (1944–1969)[
]
See also
* Catholic Church in Israel
The Catholic Church in Israel (; ; ) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, in full communion with the Holy See in Rome.
A number of institutions and organizations serve the Catholic community. The Melkite Church serves the largest number o ...
* Catholic Church in Jordan
The Catholic Church in Jordan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
In 2023, Christians made up 2.1% of Jordan's population. Of these half, or 1.06% of the country's population were Catholi ...
* Catholic Church in Palestine
External links
*Arad at Catholic Encyclopedia
''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...
here
via New Advent, accessed May 2025)
References
{{Reflist
Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Asia
Catholic titular sees in Asia