Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul is a Latin Rite Metropolitan Archdiocese in Papua New Guinea.

It has its cathedral episcopal see Sacred Heart Cathedral in and a Co-Cathedral, St Francis Xavier's Co-Cathedral, in Rabaul.

On June 19, 2020, , M.S.C. was appointed the new Archbishop.

History[]

In 1844, it was established as Apostolic Vicariate of Melanesia (a pre-diocesan jurisdiction, entitled to a titular bishop and exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See) on territory split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Oceania.

On 8 December 1890, it was renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania.

It lost territories repeatedly, to establish :

on 1896.02.24 the Apostolic Prefecture of Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land
on 1897.06.28 the Apostolic Vicariate of Gilbert Islands
on 1897.07.27 the Apostolic Prefecture of British Solomons
on 1898.05.23 the Apostolic Prefecture of German Solomon Islands (now its suffragan diocese Bougainville)
in 1905 the Mission sui juris of Marshall Islands.

On 14 November 1922, it was renamed after its see as Apostolic Vicariate of Rabaul.

On 5 July 1957, it lost territory again to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Kavieng (now its suffragan diocese).

On 15 November 1966, it was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Rabaul.

On 4 July 2003, it lost territory to establish another suffragan see, the Diocese of Kimbe.

Coat of arms[]

The new coat of arms of the Archdiocese was adopted in 2016. The proposal of coat of arms created Marek Sobola, a heraldic specialist from Slovakia, who also made a coat of arms for the Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B. ^[1]

Coat of arms

Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B. - Coat of arms

Province[]

Its ecclesiastical province comprises, besides the Metropolitan's Archdiocese, the following suffragan bishoprics :

Bishops[]

(all Roman Rite; so far missionary members of Latin congregations)

Ordinaries[]

Apostolic Vicars of Melanesia

Jean Baptiste Epalle, Marists (S.M.) (1844.07.19 – death 1845.12.19), Titular Bishop of Sion (1844.07.19 – 1845.12.19)
Jean Georges Collomb, S.M. (1846.02.19 – death 1848.07.16), Titular Bishop of Antiphellus (1846.02.19 – 1848.07.16)
Father Paolo Reina, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions M.E.M. (1852.01.11 – death 1861.03.14)
Louis-André Navarre, Sacred Heart Missionaries (M.S.C.) (1887.05.17 – 1889.05.10), Titular Bishop of Pentacomia (1887.05.17 – 1888.08.17); later (1888.08.17 – 1912.01.17), Apostolic Vicar of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea) (1889.05.10 – retired 1908.01)

Apostolic Vicars of New Britain

Stanislas Henri Verjus, M.S.C. (1889.05.10 – 1889.12.28), Titular Bishop of Limyra (1889.05.10 – 1892.11.13), later Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea) (1889.12.28 – 1892.11.13)
Louis Couppé, M.S.C. (1889.12.28 – 1890.12.08 see below), Titular Bishop of (1889.12.28 – 1925.12.18)

Apostolic Vicar of new Pomerania

Louis Couppé, M.S.C. (see above 1890.12.08 – 1922.11.14 see below)

Apostolic Vicars of Rabaul

Louis Couppé, M.S.C. (see below 1922.11.14 – retired 1923), on emeritate promoted as Titular Archbishop of Hierapolis (1925.12.18 – 1926.07.20)
Gerard Vesters (Gerardo Vesters), M.S.C. (1923.02.16 – 1938), Titular Bishop of Diocletianopolis in Palæstina (1923.02.16 – death 1954.08.30); previously Prefect Apostolic of Celebes (Indonesia) (1919.12 – 1923.02.16)
Leo Isidore Scharmach, M.S.C. (1939.06.13 – 1963), Titular Bishop of Mostene (1939.06.13 – 1964.11.26)
Johannes Höhne, M.S.C. (1963.03.01 – 1966.11.15 see below), Titular Bishop of Urima (1963.03.01 – 1966.11.15)

Metropolitan Archbishops of Rabaul

, M.S.C. (1966.11.15 – death 1978.05.27)
, M.S.C. (1980.03.06 – 1989.03.29)
, M.S.C. (1990.07.07 – 2011.08.11), also President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (1994 – 1996), Apostolic Administrator sede plena of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) (1995 – 1996.09.12), again Apostolic Administrator of Bougainville (1996.09.12 – 1999.04.19), President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (2002 – 2005); previously Titular Bishop of Naratcata (1978.04.27 – 1980.10.24) & Auxiliary Bishop of Rabaul (1978.04.27 – 1980.10.24), Bishop of Kavieng (Papua New Guinea) (1980.10.24 – 1990.07.07)
Francesco Panfilo, Salesians (S.D.B.) (2011.08.11 – 2020.06.19), previously Bishop of (Papua New Guinea) (2001.06.25 – 2010.03.18), President of Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (2008.04 – 2011.05), Coadjutor Archbishop of Rabaul (2010.03.18 – 2011.08.11)

Coadjutor archbishop[]

Francesco Panfilo, S.D.B. (2010-2011)

Auxiliary bishops[]

, M.S.C. (1978-1980), appointed Bishop of Kavieng (later returned here as Archbishop)
(1978-1995)
Patrick Taval, M.S.C. (1999-2007), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Kerema
Alphonse Liguori Chaupa (2000-2003), appointed Bishop of Kimbe
John Doaninoel, S.M. (2007-2011), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Honiara, Solomon Islands