TheCatholic Church has been active in theSão Tomé and Príncipe since the arrival of priests in 1493. TheRoman Catholic Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe was established as the Diocese of Tomé byPope Paul III in 1534, and is currently led by BishopJoão de Ceita Nazaré since 2024. Catholicism is the largest religion in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Catholic priests first arrived onSão Tomé Island in 1493. Missionaries from theOrder of Saint Augustine arrived in 1499.[1] BishopPedro da Cunha Lobo worked to eliminate Judaism on the island upon arriving in 1621.[2]
Pope Paul III established the Diocese of Tomé in 1534.[1] The Diocese of Tomé held jurisdiction fromCape Palmas to theCape of Good Hope.[3][4] It was subordinate to theRoman Catholic Diocese of Funchal until 1597, to thePatriarchate of Lisbon until 1677, and then theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia.[4]
On 15 August 2022, an agreement was signed between the Catholic Church and São Tomé and Príncipe which grantedlegal personhood to the church.[5]
KingManuel I of Portugal ordered in 1514, that new slaves in the area had to be baptised within six months of their purchase. In 1526, free black people were allowed to from the Catholic Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Rosary. KingJohn III of Portugal gave this brotherhood the right to demand and obtain freedom for its enslaved members.[1]
The Catholic Church reports that 54% of the population is Catholic in 2023. The United States estimated that 55.7% of São Tomé and Príncipe was Catholic in 2012.[6]
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