Catholic Church in Malawi
The Catholic Church in Malawi is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome and the Malawi bishops.
History
The first Catholic missionaries were White Fathers who arrived in Malawi in 1889. By 1904, the White Fathers had three permanent mission stations at Kachebere, Likuni, and Mua, and the Montforts had two missions, at Nguludi and Nzama. Most of the White Fathers were French and, among the early leaders, were Bishops Louis Auneau, Joseph Dupont, and Mathurin Guillemé. It was not until 1937-38 that the first Malawi priests were ordained: Cornelio Chitsulo, Alfred Finye.21st century
As of 2025, Malawi is a Christian country, with 79% of the population having a Christian background; more than 41% of the population is Catholic.There are 2 archdioceses and 6 dioceses:
- Archdiocese of Blantyre
- *Diocese of Chikwawa
- *Diocese of Mangochi
- *Diocese of Zomba
- Archdiocese of Lilongwe
- *Diocese of Dedza
- *Diocese of Karonga
- *Diocese of Mzuzu
On June 5, 2023, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici was named as the Apostolic Nuncio to Malawi by Pope Francis.