Catholic Church

in

Independent State of Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

Papua New Guinea

Also known as: Papua-Neuguinea (Deutsch), Papúa Nueva Guinea (español), la Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée (français), Papua Nuova Guinea (Italiano), Papua-Nowa Gwinea (polski), Papua-Nova Guiné (Português), 巴布亞新畿內亞 (正體中文), パプアニューギニア (日本語), Papua Nova Guinea (latine)

By Type (19)

Metropolitan Sees (Archdioceses) Metr. Archdiocese (4)

Episcopal Sees (Dioceses) Diocese (15)


By Rite

Roman Rite (19): Aitape, Alotau–Sideia, Bereina, Bougainville, Daru–Kiunga, Goroka, Kavieng, Kerema, Kimbe, Kundiawa, Lae, Madang, Mendi, Mount Hagen, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Vanimo, Wabag, Wewak


by Type | by Name | by Ecclesiastical Province
Changes in Dioceses | Vacant Dioceses | Former Dioceses


Apostolic Nunciature: Papua New Guinea Archbishop Mauro Lalli (59)

Conference of Bishops: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands Archbishop Anton Bal (61)

International Meeting of Bishops’ Conferences: Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania (F.C.B.C.O.) Bishop Anthony Randazzo (58)

CardinalsCardinals (1 elector/1 total)

Cardinal John Ribat, M.S.C. (67)John Ribat, M.S.C. (67)

All Cardinals

BishopsBishops

By Age

By Name

By Precedence

Jubilarians

Recent Events

Special Churches

Cathedrals Cathedrals (22)

Celebrations

Patron Saint: St. Michael

Saints: 2 Blesseds

Documents and Celebrations Text

Papal Visits


Geography

Continent: Oceania

Capital: Port Moresby

Area: 452,860 km²

Population: 6,909,701

Neighbouring Countries: Indonesia Indonesia, ↑ Micronesia Micronesia, → Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, ↓ Australia Australia

Cultural Summary

Religions: Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%), Baha'i 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3%

Languages: Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 indigenous languages spoken (about 12% of the world's total); many languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers

Ethnic Groups: Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Motto: Unity in Diversity (English)

Statistics (2021.12.31)

Area: 462,840 km²

Catholic Population: 2,476,000 Catholics (30.5% of 8,125,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 453 parishes, 804 mission stations (56 with resident priest, 748 without resident priest), 165 other centres

Clergy: 27 bishops (17 diocesan, 10 titular), 599 priests (304 diocesan, 295 religious), 1 permanent deacon (religious)

Non-Clergy: 995 religious (179 brothers, 816 sisters), 306 major seminarians, 12 missionaries, 2,709 catechists

Population

Pastoral Centres

Bishops

Priests

Deacons

Consecrated Persons (Not Ordained)

Seminarians

Lay Missionaries

Catechists

Last updated on 2024.12.16

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