Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo

Summary

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tokyo (Latin: Archidioecesis Tokiensis, Japanese: カトリック東京大司教区) is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Japan. It was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Japan on May 1, 1846, by Pope Gregory XVI, and its name was later changed by Pope Pius IX to the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Japan on May 22, 1876.

Archdiocese of Tokyo

Archidioecesis Tokiensis

カトリック東京大司教区
Location
CountryJapan
TerritoryTokyo and Chiba
Ecclesiastical provinceTokyo
Statistics
Area7,316 km2 (2,825 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2010)
19,200,258
96,157 (0.5%)
Parishes75
Information
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 17, 1891
CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral
Secular priests76
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
Metropolitan ArchbishopTarcisio Isao Kikuchi, S.V.D.
SuffragansRoman Catholic Diocese of Niigata, Saitama, Sapporo, Sendai, and Yokohama
Auxiliary BishopsAndrea Lembo, P.I.M.E.
Vicar GeneralAndrea Lembo, P.I.M.E.
Map
Website
https://tokyo.catholic.jp/en/

It was elevated to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tokyo by Pope Leo XIII on June 15, 1891, with the suffragan sees of Niigata, Saitama, Sapporo, Sendai, and Yokohama.

Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, S.V.D.,[1] previously serving as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Niigata,[1] was appointed Archbishop of the Tokyo Archdiocese on October 25, 2017.[1]

History edit

The evangelization of Japan started in 1549 with the arrival of Saint Francis Xavier and went on until 1587, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued an edict forbidding Christianity and ordering all missionaries to leave Japan. In the following years of persecution, also in Edo (now Tokyo), there were cases of martyrdom in 1612 and 1623.

After the “seclusion period”, the first missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society arrived in Japan in 1858, and were stationed in the three ports of Nagasaki, Yokohama and Hakodate.

On 1 May 1846, Vicariate Apostolic of Japan was erected.[2]

On 22 May 1876, the vicariate apostolic was divided in two: the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Japan, with its center in Nagasaki, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Japan, with its center in Tokyo.[2] Pierre Marie Osouf was the first Ordinary (Catholic Church) of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Japan.[2]

On April 17, 1891, the Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Japan was divided into the Archdiocese of Tokyo and the Diocese of Hakodate. Pierre-Marie Osouf became the first Archbishop of Tokyo.[2]

On August 13, 1912, the Archdiocese of Tokyo ceded the prefectures of Toyama, Fukui and Ishikawa to the newly established Prefecture Apostolic of Niigata, and on February 18, 1922, the prefectures of Aichi and Gifu were ceded to the newly established Prefecture Apostolic of Nagoya.

In November 1937, Tokyo was entrusted to Japanese clergy, and confined to Tokyo-to and the Chiba Prefecture. The remaining territory was detached to form the Diocese of Yokohama. The first Archbishop selected from among the Japanese clergy was Archbishop Peter Tatsu Doi.[3]

List of ordinaries edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Pope appoints a new bishop to Archdiocese of Tokyo, Japan". Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Cheney, David M. "Tōkyō (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Tokyo Archdiocese - カトリック東京大司教区 ウェブサイト". tokyo.catholic.jp. Retrieved 28 December 2017.

External links edit

  • Official site
  • Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan
  • Catholic-Hierarchy
  • GCatholic.org

35°42′N 139°43′E / 35.700°N 139.717°E / 35.700; 139.717