Archdiocese of Bukavu
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bukavu is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
History
- 26 December 1929: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Kivu from the Apostolic Vicariate of Upper Congo
- 10 January 1952: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Costermansville
- 6 January 1954: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Bukavu
- 10 November 1959: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bukavu
Special churches
The seat of the archbishop is Cathédrale Notre Dame de la Paix in Bukavu.Bishops
Ordinaries, in reverse chronological order
- Metropolitan Archbishops of Bukavu, below
- * Archbishop François-Xavier Maroy Rusengo since 26 April 2006
- * Archbishop Charles Kambale Mbogha, A.A.
- * Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko
- * Archbishop Christophe Munzihirwa Mwene Ngabo, S.J.
- * Archbishop Aloys Mulindwa Mutabesha Mugoma Mweru
- * Archbishop Louis van Steene, M. Afr. ; see below
- Vicars Apostolic of Bukavu, below
- * Bishop Louis van Steene, M. Afr. ; see above
- * Bishop Xavier Geeraerts, M. Afr.
- Vicars Apostolic of Kivu, below
- * Bishop Richard Cleire, M. Afr., appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kasongo
- * Bishop Edoardo Luigi Antonio Leys, M. Afr.
Coadjutor vicar apostolic
- Louis Van Steene, M. Afr.
Auxiliary bishop
Priests from this diocese who were named bishops
- Emile Mushosho Matabaro, named Bishop of Doruma-Dugu on 24 October 2022.
Suffragan dioceses
Conflict in South Kivu
The local Catholic Church has suffered greatly from the ongoing instability and conflict in South Kivu, where the diocese is located.In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, in 2024, the head of the Archdiocese of Bukavu lamented that "for 30 years, we have been in a cycle of violence and eternal new beginnings. One knows when the war starts, but not when it will end. For 30 years, we have been evangelising in the midst of war and trying to convey this message of hope to the people: God created man for life, not for death! We must not give up.”
However, the Vicar General Floribert Bashimbe added that the Church continues to grow. "Despite all this, the number of faithful in the archdiocese has increased. And our schools and hospitals are among the most renowned in the country.”