TheCatholic Church in Kiribati is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, which, inspired by the life, death and teachings ofJesus Christ, and under the spiritual leadership of thePope andRoman curia in theVatican City (in Rome) is the largestChristian church in the world.Koru Tito isBishop of Tarawa and Nauru, with see inKiribati.
Kiribati is predominantlyChristian with a population of 119,940 in 2020: 58% wereCatholic andProtestants from bothKiribati Protestant Church andKiribati Uniting Church were 28%.[1]
TheConstitution of Kiribati provides forfreedom of religion. The Christian festivals ofChristmas,Easter, and National Gospel Day are official religious holidays.[2]
Lying halfway betweenHawaii andAustralia, Kiribati consists of 32 low-lyingatolls and one raised island in a vast expanse of ocean comprising three main groupings: theGilbert Islands,Phoenix Islands, andLine Islands.
The original inhabitants of Kiribati are anAustronesian people who arrived more than 2000 BP. Invasions byFijians andTongans broughtMelanesian andPolynesian influence. European contact began in the 16th century. In 1892, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (nowTuvalu) became British protectorates. ABritish colony from 1916, and scene of bitter fighting duringWorld War II, Kiribati became an independent nation in 1979.[3]
The first Catholics were locals who had returned from working inTahiti. They invited theMissionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) to come from France.[4] Upon the partition of theVicariate of Micronesia, the Gilbert Islands were created as a separate vicariate by the Catholic Church in 1897. Mgr.Joseph Leray was placed at its head and, with other MSC priests, he began missionary work in the islands.[5]
In 1966, the vicariate of bishopPierre Guichet was elevated to become theDiocese of Tarawa. In 1978, the name changed to Diocese of Tarawa, Nauru and Funafuti. This was split in 1982 into theMissionsui iuris of Funafuti and theDiocese of Tarawa and Nauru.[6] BishopPaul Mea, MSC, was ordained Bishop ofTarawa,Nauru andFunafuti, Kiribati in 1979.[7]
TheSacred Heart Cathedral is inTeaoraereke, inSouth Tarawa, Kiribati.[8]
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