Archdiocese of Huambo
The Archdiocese of Huambo is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Angola.
The cathedral see of the archbishop is the Marian Cathedral of the Conception of Our Lady, in Huambo.
By 2019, the archdiocese had approximately 1.1 million Roman Catholics and 88 diocesan priests.
History
On 4 September 1940, the Diocese of Nova Lisboa was established on assembled territories split off from the Diocese of São Paulo de Loanda and mission sui iuris of Cunene, mainly to serve the growing European population in what was then the colony of Portuguese Angola.As time went on, it shed territory due to the creation of other dioceses :
- on 27 July 1955 to establish the then Diocese of Sá da Bandeira
- on 6 June on 1970 to establish its future suffragan diocese, the Diocese of Benguela
- on 10 October 1975 to establish the Diocese of Serpa Pinto and the Diocese of Pereira de Eça.
In June 1992, it enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II.
Geography
The archdiocese has an area of 35,770 square kilometers and comprises most of Huambo Province, including the following municipalities:Bishops
† = deceasedEpiscopal ordinaries
;Suffragan Bishops of Nova Lisboa- † Daniel Gomes Junqueira, previously Apostolic Prefect of Cubango in Angola
- † Américo Henriques ; previously Titular Bishop of Tisili & Auxiliary Bishop of Lamego, promoted to Coadjutor Bishop of Lamego and succeeded as Bishop of Lamego
- † Manuel Franklin da Costa, also President of Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé ; previously Bishop of Henrique de Carvalho ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Lubango
- † Francisco Viti 12 September 1986 – retired 31 July 2003); previously Bishop of Serpa Pinto, restyled Bishop of Menongue
- † Apostolic Administrator Oscar Lino Lopes Fernandes Braga, while Bishop of suffragan see Benguela
- José de Queirós Alves, C.SS.R., former Bishop of Menongue, also stayed Apostolic Administrator of his former see Menongue
- Zeferino Zeca Martins, S.V.D., previously Auxiliary Bishop of Luanda
Other priests of the Archdiocese who became bishops
Province
Its ecclesiastical province comprises the Metropolitan's archdiocese and the following suffragan sees:- Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Ganda
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Kwito-Bié