Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chongqing

Archdiocese of Chongqing Archidioecesis Ciomchimensis 天主教重庆总教区
Location
Country	China
Ecclesiastical province	Chongqing
Statistics
Area
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 1950) 11,500,000 37,608 (0.3%)
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Cathedral	St Joseph's Cathedral in Chongqing
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop	Sede Vacante

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chongqing (Latin: Ciomchimen(sis), Chinese: 重慶) is an archdiocese located in the city of Chongqing in China.

History

• April 2, 1856: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Szechwan from the Apostolic Vicariate of Szechwan. The mission of Eastern Szechwan (Sichuan) was separated from North-western Szechwan and erected in a Vicariate Apostolic in 1856. Its first name was South-eastern Szechwan. There were nine European and ten native priests, the mission being confided to the Society of the Foreign Missions of Paris. The Right Rev. Mgr Desflèches (1844–87), titular bishop of Sinitis, was elected first vicar Apostolic. Missionaries and Christians were subject to persecutions, but after the Franco-Chinese War of 1860, they obtained entire freedom to preach. In 1860 the mission was divided into two vicariates Apostolic: Eastern and Southern Szechwan. The missionaries obtained from Chinese officials a piece of ground in the city of Chongqing, as compensation for the losses undergone by the mission. New persecutions broke out. At Yu-yang Father Eyraud was put in jail, Fathers Mabileau and Rigaud were murdered. At Kien-Kiang Fathers Hue and Tay were killed in 1873. On 8 March 1876, the settlements of the Christians were pillaged at Kiang-pe. Father Coupat was elected coadjutor in 1882, and in 1888 succeeded Bishop Desflèches, appointed Archbishop of Claudiopolis in Honoriade. In 1886 the buildings of the mission at Chongqing were pillaged and destroyed. The bishop and missionaries had to retire into the Chinese tribunal. In 1891 the Right Rev. Mgr Chouvellon, titular Bishop of Dansars, succeeded Bishop Coupat. In 1898 Fr. Fleury was captured by Yu-man-tse and kept as prisoner for several months.
• December 3, 1924: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Chongqing
• April 11, 1946: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Chongqing

Leadership

• Archbishops of Chongqing 重慶 (Roman rite)
  • Archbishop Louis-Gabriel-Xavier Jantzen, M.E.P. (April 11, 1946 – October 24, 1950)
• Vicars Apostolic of Chongqing 重慶 (Roman Rite)
  • Bishop Louis-Gabriel-Xavier Jantzen, M.E.P. (later Archbishop) (February 16, 1925 – April 11, 1946)
• Vicars Apostolic of Eastern Szechwan 四川東境 (Roman Rite)
  • Bishop Célestin-Félix-Joseph Chouvellon, M.E.P. (September 25, 1891 – May 11, 1924)
  • Bishop Eugène-Paul Coupat, M.E.P. (February 20, 1883 – January 26, 1890)
  • Bishop Eugène-Jean-Claude-Joseph Desflèches, M.E.P. (later Archbishop) (April 2, 1856 – February 20, 1883)

Suffragan dioceses

• Chengdu 成都
• Jiading 嘉定
• Kangding 康定
• Ningyuan 寧遠
• Shunqing 順慶
• Suifu 敘府
• Wanxian 萬縣

External links

• GCatholic.org
• Catholic Hierarchy

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: