Roman Catholic Diocese of Belgaum
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belgaum (Latin: Belgaumen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Belgaum in the Ecclesiastical province of Bangalore in India.
Diocese of Belgaum Dioecesis Belgaumensis ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಧರ್ಮಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral of Belgaum | |
| Location | |
| Country |  |
| Ecclesiastical province | Bangalore |
| Metropolitan | Bangalore |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 33,747 km2 (13,030 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2012) 10,736,000 30,512 (0.3%) |
| Parishes | 67 |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Family Rosary of Fatima in Belgaum |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Derek Fernandes |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Peter Machado |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
History
- The Belgaum Diocese was erected on September 19, 1953 by the Papal Bull "Summa illa Sollicitudo" of Pope Pius XII. Two civil districts of Belgaum and North Kanara were separated from the Archdiocese of Goa and two other civil districts of Dharwad and Bijapur were taken from the Diocese of Pune in forming the Diocese of Belgaum.
The most Rev. Dr. Michael Rodrigues was appointed the first Bishop. By the Papal Bull "Christi Missium" of Paul VI, the North Kanara District was separated from the Belgaum Diocese to form the Karwar Diocese on January 24, 1976.
It now consists of the civil districts of Belgaum, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Gadag and Haveri in Karnataka State and the Chandgad taluka in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra State.
The mother parish of the diocese is known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Family Rosary of Fatima, or Fatima Cathedral for short. It is located in the cantonment area of Belgaum and is a prominent landmark. The Rector of the parish is currently Rev. Fr. Victor.
Leadership
Bishops of Belgaum (Latin Rite)
- Bishop Michael Rodrigues (September 19, 1953 – March 15, 1964)
- Bishop Fortunato da Veiga Coutinho (March 15, 1964 – February 8, 1967)
- Bishop Ignatius P. Lobo (September 26, 1967 – December 1, 1994)
- Bishop Bernard Blasius Moras (later Archbishop) (November 30, 1996 – July 22, 2004)
- Bishop Peter Machado (later Archbishop) (February 2, 2006 – May 30, 2018)
- Bishop Derek Fernandes(May 1, 2019 – Present)