The Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago (Latin: Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis) is a Latin Church suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States overseas dependency of American Samoa, in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia.[1]
Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Territory |  American Samoa |
| Ecclesiastical province | Samoa-Apia |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 76 sq mi (200 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2010) 68,000 14,000 (20.6%) |
| Parishes | 16 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 10 September 1982 (42 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Holy Family (Tafuna) |
| Co-cathedral | Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker (Fagatogo) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Kolio Etuale |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Alapati Lui Mataeliga |
| Bishops emeritus | |
| Map | |
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The ordinary is a bishop whose seat is the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the Tafuna. He is also pastor of the co-cathedral of Saint Joseph the Worker in Fagatogo.
On Friday, May 31, 2013, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop John Quinn Weitzel, and appointed Peter Brown, the Regional Superior of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer also known as the Redemptorist Congregation in New Zealand, as bishop-elect of the diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago. Brown was ordained as a bishop on August 22, 2013.
History
editIt was canonically erected on 10 September 1982,[2] from a unified diocese of Samoa and Tokelau, the bulk of which became its present metropolitan.
It enjoyed a papal visit from Pope Paul VI in November 1970.
Leadership
edit- Apostolic administrator
- Cardinal Pio Taofinuʻu (1982–1986)
- Ordinaries
- John Quinn Weitzel (1986–2013)
- Peter Brown (2013–2023)
- Kolio Etuale (2023–present)