Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa

The Diocese of Tortosa is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia and Valencian Country. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Tarragona.[1][2][3] Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Benavent Vidal of Valencia has been Bishop of Tortosa since 2013.[4][5]

Diocese of Tortosa

Dioecesis Dertosensis

Diócesis de Tortosa Spanish
Diòcesi de Tortosa Catalan
Location
CountrySpain
Ecclesiastical provinceTarragona
MetropolitanTarragona
Statistics
Area6,450 km2 (2,490 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2010)
292,662
260,449 (89%)
Information
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established4th Century
CathedralCathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrow in Tortosa
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopEnrique Benavent Vidal
Metropolitan ArchbishopJaume Pujol Balcells
Map
Website
Website of the Diocese
Zones of the diocese.
Territorial municipal divisions of the diocese
Territorial Archpriest divisions of the diocese

History

The Diocese of Tortosa gives a certain foundation to an ancient historical region that, despite having no political representation, shares common historical, cultural and linguistic ties. This territory is known as Ilercavonia in academic and scientific circles.[6]

The territory of the historical Diocese of Tortosa was greatly reduced during General Franco's dictatorship, following the Concordat of 1953 between the Francoist regime and the Vatican. Under the pretext of adapting the dioceses to the civil provincial limits the Consistorial Congregation, bending to the wishes of the dictator,[7] broke up the traditional region of the Diocese of Tortosa:

  • On the 2d September 1955, the Cesaraugustanae et aliarum decree of the Consistorial Congregation was published and the following year the parishes of Arenys de Lledó, Calaceit, Cretes and Lledó d'Algars in Matarranya, doing away with the traditional Aragonese parishes of the Diocese of Tortosa. Meanwhile, Betxí, an enclave of the Diocese of Teruel, was briefly added (1956–1960) to the Diocese of Tortosa and Maials was transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida.
  • Following the De mutatione finium Dioecesium Valentinae-Segorbicensis-Dertotensis decree, of 31 May 1960, the parishes of Nules, Vila-real, Castelló de la Plana, Lucena and Albocàsser that had historically belonged to the Diocese of Tortosa were aggregated to the Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón along with the parish of Betxí. Francoist propaganda presented the changes as an occasion for rejoicing.

List of bishops
Main article: Bishop of Tortosa

See also

References
  1. Tortosa - Catholic Encyclopedia article
  2. "Diocese of Tortosa" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016
  3. "Diocese of Tortosa" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016
  4. http://www.bisbattortosa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1555:mons-enrique-benavent-vidal-bisbe-electe-de-tortosa&catid=37:notes-dactualitat&Itemid=339
  5. http://attualita.vatican.va/sala-stampa/bollettino/2013/05/17/news/31004.html
  6. La Ilercavònia encara és viva
  7. Stanley G. Payne, Franco's Spain, London 1968

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