Other Nations—3

(Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, and Singapore)

This blog is the third of six to discuss nations that do not have ecclesiastic provinces.  Typically the jurisdictions are subject directly to the pope.

The blog discusses Catholicism in the Asian nations of Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, and Singapore.

Bhutan

Two Portuguese Jesuit priests traveled to Bhutan in 1627 and although they were welcomed by Bhutan’s rulers, they were unsuccessful in converting the Bhutanese to Catholicism.  Jesuits and Salesians were invited to Bhutan in the 1960s to establish schools, but were not allowed to proselytize.  The official religion is Buddhism and other religions are severely restricted.  Over 75 percent of Bhutan’s 766,000 people are Buddhists and 22 percent are Hindu.  There are only about 1,000 Catholics served by the Diocese of Darjeeling, India.  These Catholics are frequently visited by a Bhutanese-born Jesuit priest—a convert from Buddhism.

Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei has been ruled by one family for over 600 years, although it was a British protectorate from 1888 to 1984.  Franciscans brought the Catholic Faith to Brunei in 1587.  The official religion today is Islam and 79 percent of Brunei’s 451,000 people are Muslim.  About 9 percent are Christians, of which 20,000 are Catholic.  There are severe restrictions on religions other than Islam and Sharia law is enforced on Muslims.  Catholics can only openly practice their faith in church and at home.  About 90 percent of Catholics are migrant workers from other Asian countries, particularly The Philippines.  The Catholics are served by the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei and Darussalam, which was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1997 and was promoted to an apostolic vicariate in 2004.  It is immediately subject to the Pope.

Cambodia

Cambodia became a French colony in 1863 and gained its independence in 1953.  A Portuguese Dominican came to Cambodia in 1555, but was unsuccessful in making any conversions.  A century of French rule also did not result in widespread conversions to Catholicism.  Today, almost 98 percent of Cambodia’s 15.5 million people are Buddhists.  Cambodia’s 20,000 Catholics (most of whom are Vietnamese) are served by the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh (established in 1850), the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang (established in 1968), and the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong Cham (established in 1968).  All are immediately subject to the Pope.

The top picture is of Phnom Penh’s former Notre Dame Cathedral, built by the French in 1962.  It was destroyed, along with the other 72 Catholic churches in Cambodia by the Communist Khmer Rouge in 1975.  The second picture is of St. Joseph’s Church in Phnom Penh, which meets in a former school.  Source is Wikipedia.

Hong Kong

The British took Hong Kong from China in 1841, but returned it to China in 1997.  Hong Kong is now a Special Administrative Region in China.  Most of Hong Kong’s 7.2 million people practice traditional Asian religions or none at all.  After 1841, Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to Hong Kong.  About 580,000 are Catholic and 485,000 are Protestant.  The Catholics are served by the Diocese of Hong Kong.  Most of the Catholics are ethnically Chinese, but there are also Catholics from many other ethnic groups as well.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Hong Kong was established in 1841 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1874.  It was promoted to a Diocese in 1946.  The Diocese is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou, China.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Hong Kong.
Source is Flickr and Wikipedia.

Laos

Laos became part of French Indochina in the 19th Century and gained independence in 1953.   Communists took control of the government in 1975 and continue to rule today.  Laos’ 7.2 million people are mostly Buddhist (65 percent) and 31 percent are atheists.  Jesuits came to Laos in the 17th Century.  Today, there are 46,000 Catholics, many of whom are ethnic Vietnamese.  Catholicism in the south is largely uncontrolled by the Communist government, but is more restricted in the north.  There are four apostolic vicariates in Laos and all are immediately subject to the Pope.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane was established in 1938 as an apostolic prefecture before becoming an apostolic vicariate in 1952.  The Vicar Apostolic of Vientiane is a cardinal.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Savannakhet was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1950 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1958.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang was established in 1963 and the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse was established in 1967.

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Vientiane
Source is Wikipedia.

Macau

Macau was colonized by Portugal in the 16th Century—it was the first European colony in the Far East.  Macau soon became the center for Catholic evangelization for all of Asia.  Since 1987, Macau has been a Special Administrative Region of China.  More than three quarters of Macau’s 606,000 people practice folk religions or Buddhism.  Only 44,000 are Christian and of these, 30,000 are Catholic.  The Catholics are served by the Diocese of Macau, which was established in 1576 and is immediately subject to the Pope.

Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady in Macau
Source is Wikipedia.

Maldives

The Maldives, an island in the Indian Ocean, became Muslim in the 12th Century.  It became a British protectorate in 1887 and gained its independence in 1965.  The Maldives has a population of 392,000 and essentially all of its people are Sunni Muslim—the official religion.  All other religions are severely restricted.  If there are any Catholics in the Maldives (and some sources suggest there could be a few hundred), they are under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Mongolia 

Catholic missionaries came to Mongolia in the 13th Century, but evangelization efforts were largely unsuccessful.  Missionaries returned in the 19th Century.  Most of Mongolia’s 3.1 million people are Buddhist and 39 percent have no religion.  There are about 60,000 Christians, but only about 1,200 of these are Catholic.  The Catholics are served by the Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar.  This began as a Mission sui juris in 1922 before becoming an apostolic prefecture in 2002.  It is immediately subject to the Pope.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Ulaanbaatar
Source is Wikipedia.

Nepal

Several small states merged into the Kingdom of Nepal in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  Nepal is now a republic.  Catholic missionaries came to Nepal during the 18th Century and established two parishes, but missionaries were barred from 1810 to 1950.  Catholic missionaries returned after 1950 to open schools.  Proselytism remains illegal in Nepal and Maoist rebels have killed Catholics and burned two Catholic schools.  Over 80 percent of Nepal’s population of 29.4 million is Hindu and about 9 percent are Buddhist.  There are 300,000 Christians, but only 7,500 are Catholic.  The Catholics are served by the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, which began as a Mission sui juris in 1983, became an apostolic prefecture in 1996, before becoming an apostolic vicariate in 2007.  It is immediately subject to the Pope.

Singapore

A Malay trading post was established on the island of Singapore in the 14th Century, but was abandoned.  The British established modern Singapore as a trading colony in 1819.  Singapore became independent in 1965 and is today a major trade center.  Portuguese missionaries came to the area in 1511 and a priest came to Singapore in 1821 to serve the needs of Catholic Europeans and some Chinese Catholics, but Catholicism in Singapore was mostly started by a French priest who came in 1839.  Father Jean-Marie Beurel built the Cathedral of the Good Shepard and established many missionary schools.  Today there are Catholic communities representing many nationalities.  Singapore has 6 million people.  About a third are Buddhist and 19 percent are Christian.  There are 158,000 Catholics served by the Archdiocese of Singapore, which is immediately subject to the Pope.  The Diocese of Malacca was established in 1558, but was later suppressed.  An apostolic vicariate was created in 1841 and the Diocese of Malacca was restored in 1888.  Malacca became an archdiocese in 1953 and was renamed the Archdiocese of Singapore in 1972.

Cathedral of the Good Shepard in Singapore
Sources--first is Panaramio and the others from Wikipedia.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also archdioceses that are not part of a province that are directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic vicariates and apostolic prefectures.  Both are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.  The difference is that a vicar apostolic holds the rank of a bishop and the prefect apostolic is a priest, but not a bishop.  There is also a jurisdiction called a mission sui juris.  A mission sui juris may be part of a province and is often administered by a bishop of another diocese.