There are approximately 211,159 (2005) Catholics in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 and the country is divided into six diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

s including one archdiocese. The Catholic Bishop's Conference of Bangladesh, founded in 1971, is the General Body of the Ordinaries of Bangladesh. The purpose of this Conference is to facilitate common policy and action in matters that affect or are liable to affect the interest of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh and to be of service to the country at large. Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 visited Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

 in November 1986.

Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 country, but relations between the communities are generally quite good, but there are sporadic incidences of violence against Christians

Persecution of Christians

Persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...

 such as a bomb attack on a Catholic church in 2001.

Metropolitan Province of Dhaka

• Archdiocese of Dhaka
  Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka
  The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dhaka is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bangladesh. It was erected it as the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Bengal by Pope Pius IX in 1850, promoted to the rank of a diocese on September 1, 1886, and renamed as...
  
  
  • Diocese of Chittagong
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Chittagong
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chittagong is a diocese located in the city of Chittagong in the Ecclesiastical province of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The Diocese of Chittagong comprises of the 17 Civil Districts of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachori, Noakhali, Feni, Laxmipur,...
    
    
  • Diocese of Khulna
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Khulna
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Khulna is a diocese located in the city of Khulna in the Ecclesiastical province of Dhaka in Bangladesh.-History:* January 3, 1952: Established as Diocese of Jessore* June 14, 1956: Renamed as Diocese of Khulna-Leadership:...
    
    
  • Diocese of Rajshahi
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Rajshahi
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rajshahi is a diocese located in the city of Rajshahi in the Ecclesiastical province of Dhaka in Bangladesh.-Leadership:* Bishops of Rajshahi ** Bishop Gervas Rozario...
    
    
  • Diocese of Mymensingh
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Mymensingh
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mymensingh is a diocese located in the city of Mymensingh in the Ecclesiastical province of Dhaka in Bangladesh.-History:* May 15, 1987: Established as Diocese of Mymensingh from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dhaka...
    
    
  • Diocese of Dinajpur
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Dinajpur
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dinajpur is a diocese located in Dinajpur District, Rajshahi Division, in the Ecclesiastical province of Dhaka in Bangladesh.-Leadership:* Bishops of Dinajpur ** Bishop Sebastian Tudu...
    
    
  • Diocese of Sylhet
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Sylhet
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sylhet is a diocese in Bangladesh, and comprises the civil districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, and Maulvi Bazar...
    
    

Hierarchy

There are a total of 14 bishops in Bangladesh; 20 more have died. As head of the Archdiocese of Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

, Archbishop Paulinus Costa

Paulinus Costa

Paulinus Costa was Archbishop of the archdiocese of Dhaka from 2005 until his retirement on October 22, 2011.-Career:Costa was ordained as a priest on 21 December, 1963...

 is the highest ranked bishop in the country.

The Apostolic Nunciature

Apostolic Nunciature

An Apostolic Nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See, equivalent to an embassy.The head of the Apostolic Nunciature is called nuncio. A nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin nuntius, meaning messenger...

to Bangladesh is Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino.

External links

• The Catholic Church in Bangladesh by Giga-Catholic Information
• Profile of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh