Roman Catholic Diocese of Ambanja

Roman Catholic diocese in Madagascar

Diocese of Ambanja Dioecesis Ambaniaënsis

Location
Country	Madagascar
Metropolitan	Antsiranana
Statistics
Area	34,083 km² (13,160 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2006) 1,241,000 109,217 (8.8%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Cathedral	Saint Joseph Cathedral^[1]
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Donatien Francis Randriamalala, MS

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ambanja (Latin: Ambaniaën[sis]) is a diocese located in the city of Ambanja in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Antsiranana in Madagascar. Its episcopal see is the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, which was constructed in 1933.

History

On September 4, 1848, the Apostolic Prefecture of Isole di Mayotta, Nossi-Bé e Comore was established from the Apostolic Vicariate of Madagascar. In 1843 the French Government, called in by the sultan, had taken possession of Mayotte, which became, with Nossi-Bé, a post of surveillance over Madagascar. These islands later formed a French colony, with a population largely Muslim. Mayotte, Nossi-Bé and the Comoros were made an Apostolic prefecture and confided to the Fathers of the Holy Ghost.

In 1898, when the same missionaries were given the ecclesiastical administration of Northern Madagascar, these smaller islands and Santa Maria were attached to the then Apostolic Vicariate of Diégo-Suarez. Santa Maria and Nossi-Bé had resident missionaries.^[2]

June 14, 1938: Renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Ambanja
Promoted on March 8, 1951 as Apostolic Vicariate of Ambanja
Promoted on September 14, 1955 as Diocese of Ambanja, yet remains dependent in Rome on the missionary Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
On 5 June 1975, it lost its original missionary territory (modern Comoros and Mayotte) to establish the exempt Apostolic Administration of the Comoros Archipelago.

Incumbent Ordinaries

all Roman Rite (Latin)

Apostolic Prefect of Mayotte, Nosy-Be and Comore

Friar Callisto Lopinot, OFMCap (1932.05.15 – 1937)

Apostolic Prefect of Ambanja

Fr. Léon-Adolphe Messmer, OFMCap (1937.11.12 – 1951.03.08 see below)

Apostolic Vicar of Ambanja

Bishop Léon-Adolphe Messmer, OFMCap, Titular Bishop of Coropissus (see above 1951.03.08 – 1955.09.14 see below)

Suffragan Bishops of Ambanja

Léon-Adolphe Messmer, OFMCap (see above 1955.09.14 – 1975.06.05), later permanent Apostolic Administrator of Comores (Comoros) (1975.06.05 – 1980.05.02)
Ferdinand Botsy, OFMCap (1976.07.08 – 1997.10.25)
Odon Marie Arsène Razanakolona (1998.11.28 – 2005.12.07), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Antananarivo (Madagascar) (2005.12.07 – ...),
- remaining Apostolic Administrator (2005.12.07 – 2007.11.07)
Rosario Saro Vella, SDB (2007.11.07 – 2019.07.08), appointed Bishop of Moramanga
Donatien Francis Randriamalala, MS (2022.11.11 – ...)

References

^ (in French) Monographie de la Région Diana Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine (pages 37/38)
^ Wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Mayotte, Nossi-Bé, and Comoro