Diocese of Wau
The Diocese of Wau is a Latin Church is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in South Sudan. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Juba, and depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The cathedra is in the Cathedral of St. Mary in Wau, Gharb Baḩr al Ghazāl province. Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku has been Bishop of Wau since 18 November 2020.
History
- 30 May 1913: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Bahr el-Ghazal, on territory split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa
- 13 June 1917: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Bahr el-Ghazal
- Lost territory repeatedly : on 1923.06.12 to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Equatorial Nile, on 1949.03.03 to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Mupoi and on 1955.07.03 to establish Apostolic Vicariate of Rumbek
- 26 May 1961: Renamed after its see as Apostolic Vicariate of Wau
- 12 December 1974: Promoted as '''Diocese of Wau'''
Statistics
, it pastorally served 2,913,120 Catholics on 134,572 km² in 19 parishes with 43 priests, 1 deacon, 56 lay religious and 23 seminarians.Ordinaries
Apostolic Prefect of Bahr el-GhazalApostolic Vicars of Bahr el-Ghazal
- Antonio Stoppani, M.C.C.I., Titular Bishop of Stratonicea in Caria
- Rodolfo Orler, M.C.C.I., Titular Bishop of Prusias ad Hypium
- Edoardo Mason, M.C.C.I., Titular Bishop of Rusicade ; next Apostolic Vicar of El Obeid
- Ireneus Wien Dud, Titular Bishop of Barcusus ; previously Apostolic Vicar of Rumbek
- Ireneus Wien Dud, also President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference, Apostolic Administrator of Apostolic Vicariate of Rumbek ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Juba
- Gabriel Zubeir Wako, also Apostolic Administrator of Apostolic Vicariate of Rumbek, President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference ; later Coadjutor Archbishop of Khartoum, succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Khartoum, President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference, created Cardinal-Priest of S. Atanasio a Via Tiburtina
- Joseph Bilal Nyekindi, died 1996
- Rudolf Deng Majak, also President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference ; previously Apostolic Administrator of Wau.
- Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku, M.C.C.I.