 Catholic Church in Laos | |
|---|---|
| Lao:ໂບດກາໂຕລິກໃນລາວ | |
 | |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Asian Christianity,Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Governance | CELAC |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Apostolic Delegate | Peter Bryan Wells |
| President ofCELAC | Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzalez |
| Region | Oman |
| Language | Arabic,Latin |
| Headquarters | Sacred Heart Cathedral, Vientiane |
| Separations | Protestantism in Laos |
| Members | 45,015 (0.57%)[1] |
TheCatholic Church inLaos is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thepope inRome. The Catholic Church is officially recognized by the government.[2]
There are no dioceses in the country. Rather, Laos is divided into fourApostolic Vicariates,[3] which are pre-diocesan jurisdictions that are entitled to atitular bishop and are exempt, i.e., directly subject to theHoly See and its missionaryCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The four vicariates are:
Each vicariate is headed by anapostolic vicar, who thereby is a member of the commonepiscopal conference of Laos and (Indochinese neighbour)Cambodia.
The Holy See has anApostolic Delegation (papal diplomatic legation of lower rank than an embassy) to Laos. The delegation, however, is based inBangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand. The papal legation to Laos is vested in theApostolic nuncio to Thailand (as are also the papal legations to Cambodia andMyanmar).
On 4 May 1899, theApostolic Vicariate of Laos was established on territory split off from theApostolic Vicariate of Eastern Siam; it would be renamed on 21 December 1950 asApostolic Vicariate of Thare, after its new see inThailand, to become the present (Thai) MetropolitanArchdiocese of Thare and Nonseng.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Laos lost territories in two splits :
On 1 March 1963, theApostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang was in turn split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane.
On 12 June 1967, theApostolic Vicariate of Pakse was split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Savannakhet).
In 2017,Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun became the first ever Lao Cardinal.[4]
In 2007 many Catholics were ethnic Vietnamese, concentrated in major urban centers and surrounding areas along the Mekong River in the central and southern regions of the country; the Catholic Church had an established presence in five of the most populous central and southern provinces, and Catholics are able to worship openly.[5]
The Catholic Church's activities were more circumscribed in the north,[5] where there were four bishops, two located in Vientiane and others located in the cities ofThakhek and Pakse. One of the two bishops resident in Vientiane oversaw the Vientiane Diocese and was responsible for the central part of the country while the second bishop resident in Vientiane was the Bishop of Luang Prabang - he was assigned to the northern part of the country, but while the Government did not permit him to take up his post, it did permit him to travel to visit church congregations in the north.[5]
Relationship between the Church and government has been strained since 1950s, a time when the Church was openly opposed toPathet Lao. The relationship after 1975 is categorised as mutually suspicious within each other.[6] The church's property in Luang Prabang was seized after the 1975 Communist takeover, and there is no longer a parsonage in that city.[5] In 2007 an informal Catholic training center in Thakhek prepared a small number of priests to serve the Catholic community while several foreign nuns temporarily serve in the Vientiane diocese.[5]
There are 100,000 Catholics in Laos in 2022,[2] rising from 50,000 - 60,000 Laotian Catholics in 2015.[7]
Reports stated that 47 priests and 107 nuns served 180 parishes.[8]
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