Roman Catholic Diocese of Tallinn

The Diocese of Tallinn is a Latin Church diocese that covers the entire country of Estonia.

Diocese of Tallinn
Cathedral of Tallinn
Location
Country Estonia
MetropolitanImmediately subject to the Holy See
Statistics
Area45,213 km2 (17,457 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2015)
1,300,000
6,500 (0.5%)
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established26 September 2024
CathedralSt. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral, Tallinn
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopPhilippe Jourdan
Website
https://www.katoliku.ee/index.php/en/

It was an apostolic administration (quasi-diocesan jurisdiction) of the Latin Roman Catholic Church in Estonia from its formation in 1924 to 2024. Its cathedral episcopal see, the St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral, is located in Tallinn.

The post of apostolic administrator was often held by titular archbishops who also held posts in the diplomatic service of the Holy See as nuncio to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

History

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An ancient diocese with the see in Reval (Reval was the name of Tallinn until 1918) existed between 1219 and 1557.

In 1918, when Estonia gained independence, its citizens had complete freedom of religion. The Holy See recognized Estonia on 10 October 1921. The Apostolic Administration of Estonia was established on November 1, 1924,[1] on territory split off from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Riga (in the neighboring Baltic country Latvia).

The see remained vacant during most of the period when Estonia was occupied and annexed into the USSR after the death of Bishop Eduard Profittlich in 1942 because of the suppression of the Church by Soviet communist authorities.

Since 1992, after Estonia's post-communist independence, apostolic administrators are once again appointed. It enjoyed a papal visit in September 1993 from Pope John Paul II.

On 26 September 2024, the Apostolic Administration of Estonia was raised to the Diocese of Tallinn.[2]

Leadership

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Apostolic Administrators of Estonia
Bishops of Tallinn

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Apostolic Administration of Estonia", Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved on 18 May 2014
  2. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 26.09.2024" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
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59°26′17″N 24°44′56″E / 59.4381°N 24.7489°E / 59.4381; 24.7489