The Roman Catholic Diocese of Basankusu () is a Latin

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the Metropolitan

Mbandaka-Bikoro The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro () is the Metropolitan See for the Latin Rite Ecclesiastical province of Mbandaka-Bikoro, in the western part of Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is under the authority of the Congregation for ...

in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

episcopal see is Cathédrale Saints-Pierre-et-Paul (Saints Peter and Paul) in the town of

Basankusu Basankusu is a town in Province of Équateur, Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the main town and administrative centre of the Basankusu Territory. In 2004, it had an estimated population of 23,764. It has a gravel Basank ...

History

* Established on 28 July 1926, as

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Basankusu on territory split off from the then

Apostolic Vicariate of Nouvelle-Anvers The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisala () is a Latin Catholic diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro, Mbandaka-Bikoro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, named after its Episcopal see, see, loc ...

* 8 January 1948: Promoted as

Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of Basankusu * Lost territory on 14 June 1951 to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Isangi (now a diocese) * Promoted on 10 November 1959, as Diocese of Basankusu, ceasing to be exempt

Ordinaries

''(all

Latin Rite Latin Rite may refer to: *The Latin Church, a ''sui iuris'' church of the Catholic Church *The Latin liturgical rites, a family of Christian rites and uses which includes the Roman Rite *The Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritua ...

, mostly -initially missionary- members of Latin congregations)'' ; ''Apostolic Prefects of Basankusu'' * Gerardo Wantenaar,

Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill (), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert A. Vaughan. History The society was founded in 1866 by Herbert A. ...

(M.H.M.) (2 February 1927 – 8 January 1948 ''see below'') ; ''Apostolic Vicars'' of Basankusu * Gerardo Wantenaar, M.H.M.,

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Uzalis El Alia is a town and commune in the Bizerte Governorate, Tunisia. It was the ancient Uzalis in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis, which became a Christian bishopric that is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees. It is ...

(8 July 1948 – 3 December 1951) (''see above'' 8 January 1948 – 3 December 1951) * Willem van Kester, M.H.M., Titular Bishop of Legia (19 June 1952 – 10 November 1959 ''see below'') ; ''Bishops'' of Basankusu * Willem van Kester, M.H.M. (''see above'' 10 November 1959 – 18 November 1974) *

Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi (April 12, 1932 – September 9, 2011) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Molegbe, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ordained to the priesthood in 1964, Matondo Kwa Nzambi was appointed bishop ...

Scheutists The CICM Missionaries, officially known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary () and often abbreviated as C.I.C.M, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in 1862 by the Belgian Cathol ...

(C.I.C.M.) (18 November 1974 – 27 June 1998), appointed Bishop of Molegbe * Joseph Mokobe Ndjoku (9 November 2001 - 11 November 2023), ''previously

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

(1998 – 9 November 2001)'' while Bishop of Bokungu–Ikela (Democratic Republic of Congo) (6 December 1993 – 9 November 2001) * Libère Pwongo Bope (since 11 November 2023)

Sources and external links

Giga-Catholic Information

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basankusu Basankusu Roman Catholic dioceses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian organizations established in 1926 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Articles containing video clips Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Mbandaka-Bikoro

History

Ordinaries

See also

Sources and external links