Medjana
Medjana is a town and commune in Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. It is the location the ancient city and bishopric of Vardimissa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see.
According to the 1998 census it has a population of 16,112.
History
Vardimissa was important enough in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis to become one of its many suffragan dioceses, but like most, faded completely, probably at the 7th century advent of Islam.Two of its bishops are historically documented :
- Victor, participant at the Council of Carthage in 411, among the Catholic bishops confronted with Donatist heretical counterparts, without such for his see.
- Burcus, intervening Catholic participant at the Council of Carthage in 484 called by king Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom, presumably exiled or executed afterward.
Titular see
It is vacant, having had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal rank :
- José Freire Falcão as Coadjutor Bishop of Limoeiro do Norte ; later Bishop of Limoeiro do Norte, Metropolitan Archbishop of Teresina , Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasília , Second Vice-President of Latin American Episcopal Council, created Cardinal-Priest of S. Luca a Via Prenestina
- Bruno-Augustin Hippel, Pallotines as emeritate; previously Titular Bishop of Abora as first and last Apostolic Vicar of Oudtshoorn , promoted first Bishop of Oudtshoorn
- Alano Maria Pena, Dominican Order as Auxiliary Bishop of Belém do Pará , Coadjutor Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Marabá and succeeding as last Bishop-Prelate of Marabá ; later promoted first Bishop of Marabá , Bishop of Itapeva , Bishop of Nova Friburgo , Metropolitan Archbishop of Niterói
- Alfredo Ernest Novak, Redemptorists as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of São Paulo ; later Bishop of Paranaguá , died 2014
- Jan Martyniak as Auxiliary Bishop of Przemyśl of the Ukrainians ; next succeeded as last suffragan Eparch of Przemyśl of the Ukrainians, promoted as first Metropolitan Archbishop of restyled Przemyśl–Warszawa of the Ukrainians
- Diómedes Espinal de León as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros ; next Bishop of Mao–Monte Cristi
- Mosè Marcia as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Cagliari ; later Bishop of Nuoro .