TheCatholic Church inVanuatu is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome. Catholics constitute 13% of the population of Vanuatu in 2022.[1] The church is organized into one diocese based in the capital ofPort Vila.[2]
The diocese is a member of the Pacific Bishops Conference.[3]
The first ever mass inOceania was performed on May 14, 1606, when Spanish explorer Pedro de Quiros landed onEspiritu Santo with four priests and eight brothers, some of which were Franciscans and St John of God, and celebratedPentecost.[4]
In 1875 mostly Catholic Tannese settlers wrote to the French government asking that the islands be claimed byFrance.[5]A permanent mission of theMarist Fathers was established with considerable difficulty in 1887.[6] The mission inPort Vila developed rapidly in the next twenty years.[7]
The islands' first native named bishop,Michel Visi, was named at April 12, 1997 and served till his death in 2007.[8] An ambassador to the Holy See,Michel Rittie was chosen for the first time in 2003.[9]
BishopJean Bosco Baremes has served as Bishop of Port Vila since 2009.[10]
Vanuatu sent a delegation of young people for the first time toWorld Youth Day 2008 when it was held inSydney, Australia.[11]
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