Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamhung

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamhung is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in North Korea.

Diocese of Hamhung

Dioecesis Hameungensis

함흥 교구
Location
Country North Korea
Ecclesiastical provinceSeoul
MetropolitanSeoul
Statistics
Area49,375 km2 (19,064 sq mi)
Population
- Catholics
unknown
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteRoman Rite
Established5 August 1920
CathedralDestroyed in Korean War
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopSede vacante
Metropolitan ArchbishopAndrew Yeom Soo-jung
Apostolic AdministratorLuke Kim Woon-hoe
Map

Originally erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Wonsan in 1920, the name has been changed twice, once to Kankoensis o Hameungensis in 1940, and finally, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Hamhung in 1950. Like the Diocese of Pyongyang, the Vicariate was elevated to a full diocese in 1962. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

Persecutions

In 1949, 166 priests and religious were martyred in the Communist revolution of Kim Il-sung. This left the diocese bereft of priests. Bishop Boniface Sauer, the abbot of Tokwon Abbey, had died in 1950, and no bishop had been re-appointed to the diocese. Finally, in 1962, Timotheus (Franz Xaver) Bitterli, was appointed in absentia as the bishop of the diocese, and was the apostolic administrator for 20 years until his resignation in 1981. Since then, the diocese has remained vacant, and it will likely remain so as long as the persecution of Christians in North Korea continues.

Ordinaries
  • Bonifatius Sauer, OSB (25 August 1920 - 12 Jan 1950)
  • Vacant (1940 - 1962)
  • Timotheus Bitterli, OSB (apostolic administrator: 10 Mar 1962 - 22 May 1981)
  • Vacant (1982 - present)
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See also

References

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