Roman Catholicism in Laos
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Church in Laos
is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
and curia
in Rome
.
The Roman Catholic Church
is officially recognized by the LFNC. There are approximately 45,000 Catholics, many of whom are ethnic Vietnamese, concentrated in major urban centers and surrounding areas along the Mekong River in the central and southern regions of the country. The Catholic Church has an established presence in five of the most populous central and southern provinces, and Catholics are able to worship openly.
The Catholic Church's activities are more circumscribed in the north. There are four bishops, two located in Vientiane and others located in the cities of Thakhek and Pakse. One of the two bishops resident in Vientiane oversees the Vientiane Diocese and is responsible for the central part of the country. The second bishop resident in Vientiane is the Bishop of Luang Prabang. He is assigned to the northern part of the country, but while the Government did not permit him to take up his post, it did permit him to travel to visit church congregations in the north.
The church's property in Luang Prabang was seized after 1975, and there is no longer a parsonage in that city. An informal Catholic training center in Thakhek prepared a small number of priests to serve the Catholic community. Several foreign nuns temporarily serve in the Vientiane diocese.
There are no dioceses in the country, but it is divided into four Apostolic Vicariate
s.
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
is officially recognized by the LFNC. There are approximately 45,000 Catholics, many of whom are ethnic Vietnamese, concentrated in major urban centers and surrounding areas along the Mekong River in the central and southern regions of the country. The Catholic Church has an established presence in five of the most populous central and southern provinces, and Catholics are able to worship openly.
The Catholic Church's activities are more circumscribed in the north. There are four bishops, two located in Vientiane and others located in the cities of Thakhek and Pakse. One of the two bishops resident in Vientiane oversees the Vientiane Diocese and is responsible for the central part of the country. The second bishop resident in Vientiane is the Bishop of Luang Prabang. He is assigned to the northern part of the country, but while the Government did not permit him to take up his post, it did permit him to travel to visit church congregations in the north.
The church's property in Luang Prabang was seized after 1975, and there is no longer a parsonage in that city. An informal Catholic training center in Thakhek prepared a small number of priests to serve the Catholic community. Several foreign nuns temporarily serve in the Vientiane diocese.
There are no dioceses in the country, but it is divided into four Apostolic Vicariate
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
s.
- Vicariate Apostolic of Luang PrabangVicariate Apostolic of Luang PrabangVicariate Apostolic of Luang Prabang is an apostolic vicariate of the Roman Catholic Church in northern Laos. It was established on March 1 1963, when it was split off from the Vicariate Apostolic of Vientiane...
- Vicariate Apostolic of PakséVicariate Apostolic of PakséVicariate Apostolic of Paksé is a major unit of theRoman Catholic Church in Laos. The Vicar Apostolic since 2000 is Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun. It was established in 1967, when it was split off from the Vicariate Apostolic of Savannakhet. Covering an area of 45,000 km² of southern Laos,...
- Vicariate Apostolic of SavannakhetVicariate Apostolic of SavannakhetVicariate Apostolic of Savannakhet is a subdivision of the Roman Catholic Church in Laos.Covering an area of 48,100 km² of central Laos, the Vicariate is the largest of the apostolic vicariates in Laos. 12,500 of 2.7 million citizen in the area are member of the Catholic Church.The vicariate...
- Vicariate Apostolic of VientianeVicariate Apostolic of VientianeVicariate Apostolic of Vientiane is a subdivision of theRoman Catholic Church in Laos.The vicariate covers the provinces of Houaphan, Xiangkhoang, Vientiane Province, Vientiane Prefecture and most of Bolikhamsai...