TheCatholic Church in Tajikistan is part of the worldwideCatholic Church inTajikistan (West Turkistan,Central Asia), under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome.
In 2009, the size of the community was estimated at 300 people.[1] By 2020, the number was believed to be 100 people, with 4 priests and 8 nuns across two parishes.[2][3]
ThisMission sui iuris (pre-diocesan jurisdiction, also known as Independent Mission) for the Catholics is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See (not part of anyecclesiastical province), and comprises three churches (in the Tajik capitalDushanbe, andVakhsh nearBokhtar), but no see.
In modern times the Catholic Church obtained a presence in Tajikistan throughSoviet deportations, and in 1974, churches were opened in Dushanbe (St Joseph Church, Dushanbe) andQurghonteppa.[4] Most of the early Catholics were Germans of Russian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian origin.[5] Many Catholics fled the1990s civil war following the Soviet Union collapse.[4] In 1997,Pope John Paul II created a missionsui iuris for the country to be administered by theInstitute of the Incarnate Word ofArgentina.[4] On 29 September 1997, the Holy See established the Missionsui iuris on territory split off from the thenApostolic Administration of Kazakhstan (shortly after promoted to Diocese of Karaganda, aftermissiones sui iuris were also split off forKyrgyzstan,Turkmenistan andUzbekistan, all in 1997).
The Institute sent priests from South America to Tajikistan. In 2003, the Church opened a center andsoup kitchen inDushanbe for homeless children.[6] By 2004, the mission had three parishes, one mission center, five priests, four nuns of theMissionaries of Charity, and its own website.[4] In 2005, three sisters of the Servants of the Lord and Our Lady of Matara came to live in Tajikistan.[7] TheMissionaries of Charity started sewing classes for young women in 2006 so they might develop skills and further their education.[8] In July 2007, Father Avila joined with the 22 non-Islamic religious groups in the country to object to a bill that would greatly restrict the activities of religious minorities.[9] In March 2008, many poor and elderly citizens queued at the nuns house in Dushanbe to receive aid fromCaritas Tajikistan,Care International and United StatesCatholic Relief Service to survive the harsh winter.[10] In 2012, there were three Tajiks studying for the priesthood and three who wished to be nuns.[5]
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