The Archdiocese of Kinshasa (; ; ) is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its ecclesiastic territory includes the capital city of Kinshasa and surrounding districts. The archdiocese is the metropolitan see for the Ecclesiastical Province of Kinshasa. The current archbishop is Fridolin Ambongo Besungu.
Established as the Apostolic Vicariate of the Belgian Congo by Pope Leo XIII in 1888, it was raised to the status of an archdiocese in 1959. In 1966, its name was changed from the Archdiocese of Léopoldville to the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. Today, the archdiocese covers a territory of 8,500 km2 (3,283 sq mi) and, as of 2016, has a total population of 11,323,000, of whom 6,378,000 (56.3%) are Catholic. The archdiocese is served by 1,208 priests, including 238 diocesan priests and 970 religious priests, 1,661 male religious (including religious priests and brothers), and 1,982 religious sisters. The archdiocese has 143 parishes, including the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Congo in Kinshasa.
History The archdiocese was established on 22 November 1886, as the Mission sui iuris of the Belgian Congo, from territory taken from both the Apostolic Prefecture of Lower Congo (in Cubango, Angola) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Two Guineas (in Gabon). It was promoted on 11 May 1888, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Belgian Congo. Over time, it lost territory repeatedly: to establish the Mission sui juris of Kwango on 18 April 1892, the Apostolic Prefecture of Uélé on 12 May 1898, the Mission sui juris of Kasaï Supérieur on 26 July 1901, the Apostolic Prefecture of Stanley Falls on 3 August 1904, the Apostolic Prefecture of Ubangui Belge on 7 April 1911, and the Apostolic Prefecture of Matadi and the Apostolic Prefecture of Northern Katanga on 1 July 1911.
On 3 April 1919, it was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville. It lost territory several times more: to establish the Mission sui juris of Bikoro on 3 January 1931, the Apostolic Vicariate of Boma on 26 February 1934, the Apostolic Prefecture of Kole on 14 June 1951, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Inongo on 29 June 1953. It was elevated on 10 November 1959 as the Archdiocese of Léopoldville, when the city was soon to become the national capital of the newly independent Republic of the Congo. It was renamed the Archdiocese of Kinshasa on 30 May 1966, when the city's name was changed from Léopoldville to Kinshasa. The archdiocese was visited by Pope John Paul II in May 1980 and again in August 1985.
Bishops Ordinaries
Apostolic Vicars of the Belgian Congo François Camille Van Ronslé, C.I.C.M. (1896-1919); see below
Apostolic Vicars of Léopoldville François Camille Van Ronslé, C.I.C.M. (1919-1926); see above Natale de Cleene, C.I.C.M. (1926-1932) Georges Six, C.I.C.M. (1934-1952) Félix Scalais, C.I.C.M. (1953-1959); see below
Archbishops of Léopoldville Félix Scalais, C.I.C.M. (1959-1964); see above Joseph Malula (1964-1966); future Cardinal; see below
Archbishops of Kinshasa Joseph Malula (1966-1989) (Cardinal in 1969); see above Frédéric Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi, C.I.C.M. (1990-2007) (Cardinal in 1991) Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya (2007-2018) (Cardinal in 2010) Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap. (2018–present) (Cardinal in 2019)
Coadjutor bishops Noël de Cleene, C.I.C.M. (1924-1926), as Coadjutor vicar apostolic Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap. (2018); future Cardinal
Auxiliary Bishops of Kinshasa Joseph Malula (1959-1964), appointed Archbishop here; future Cardinal Eugène Moke Motsüri (1970-1991) Tharcisse Tshibangu Tshishiku (1970-1991), appointed Bishop of Mbujimayi Dominique Bulamatari (1999-2009), appointed Bishop of Molegbe Edouard Kisonga Ndinga, S.S.S. (1999–2022), retired Daniel Nlandu Mayi (1999-2008), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Matadi Timothée Bodika Mansiyai, P.S.S. (2012-2016), appointed Bishop of Kikwit Sébastien-Joseph Muyengo Mulombe (2012-2013), appointed Bishop of Uvira Donatien Bafuidinsoni Maloko-Mana, S.J. (2015-2018), appointed Bishop of Inongo Jean-Pierre Kwambamba Masi (2015-2018), appointed Bishop of Kenge Jean-Crispin Kimbeni Ki Kanda (2020-2022), appointed Bishop of Kisantu Vincent Tshomba Shamba Kotsho (2020-2022), appointed Bishop of Tshumbe Charles Ndaka Salabisala (2020-) Edouard Isango Nkoyo (2023-) Edouard Tsimba Ngoma (2023-)
Suffragan dioceses The Archdiocese of Kinshasa is the metropolitan archdiocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Kinshasa, which includes the following suffragan dioceses:
Boma Idiofa Inongo Kenge Kikwit Kisantu Matadi Popokabaka
Apostolic regions
Kin – centre DeaneryParishYear establishedSaint Peter DeanerySt. Peter1933St. Anne1913St. Paul1946Our Lady of the Congo1947Our Lady of Fatima (Notre-Dame de Fatima)1955St. Andrew1964St. Eloi1964Sacré-Coeur1965St. Rombaut1966St. Muzeyi1970St. Kiwanuka1980Saint Joseph DeanerySt. Joseph1956Christ-Roi1951St. Pius X1956St. Maria Goretti1959St. Anthony1963St. Vincent de Paul1965St. John the Baptist1967St. Clement1970St. Christ the Savior (Kristu Mobikisi)1980St. Clare1990St. Agatha2003Saint Gabriel DeanerySt. Gabriel1955St. Dominic1958St. Raphael1958St. Augustine1959St. Matthias1961St. Adrian1962St. Felix1962St. Christine1963St. Lawrence1971St. Benedict1992Notre-Dame d'Afrique1993St. Amand2001Saint Alphonse DeanerySt. Alphonse1954St. Esprit1959St. Stephen1962St. Kizito1965Bon Pasteur1968St. Thomas1970St. Mary Magdalene1970St. Trinité 1979Résurrection1980St. John the Apostle1981Nativité 1985St. Cyril1985St. Gonza1986St. Bernadette1987St. Bernard1992St. Felicity1992St. Ambrose1993
Kin – East DeaneryParishYear establishedSainte Thérèse DeanerySt. Thérèse1954St. Martin1963St. Famille 1963St. Agnes1964St. Mbaga1966Coeur Immaculé de Marie1980St. Monica1985St. Timothy1985St. Francis Xavier1990Divin Maître2000Mary Help of Christians2004Saint Mark DeanerySt. Mark1961St. Theophile1963Croix 1975St. Boniface1980St. Frederick1980St. Kibuka1980Mama wa Boboto1980St. Bartholomew1985Mama wa Bosawa1985St. Athanasius1990Bisengo Mwambe1991St. Hilaire2001St. Banabakintu2004Saint James DeanerySt. James1961St. Matthew1956St. Ngondwe Pontien1980Mary Mother of the Church1982St. Eugene1990St. Martha1990St. Angela1991Blessed Bakanja1991St. Yves1993St. Lucy1999Our Lady of Perpetual Help2003
Kin – West DeaneryParishYear establishedSaint Cyprian DeanerySt. Cyprian1970St. Mukasa1974St. Gyavira1980St. Tharcisius1985St. Leonard1989Don Bosco1990St. Elizabeth1993St. Perpetua1993St. Damien1995St. Maurice2000Saint Francis DeanerySt. Francis de Sales1939St. Leopold1899St. Michael1955St. Charles Lwanga1961St. Luke1964St. Philip1969St. Albert1989Saint Mawaggali DeanerySt. Mawaggali1974Our Lady of Wisdom1954Christ the Consoler (Kristu Molobeli)1980St. Peter Claver1984St. Maximilian Kolbe1985Queen of the Apostles1988St. Norbert1988Blessed Sacrament DeaneryBlessed Sacrament1958St. Christopher1960Ntombwa ya Maria1980Blessed Anuarite1980St. Leo1981St. Ignatius1982St. Camillus1988Our Lady of Grace1989St. Catherine1992Martyrs of Uganda2002St. Edward2005
Military vicariate InstitutionParishLocation (camp)Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the CongoSt. BarbaraKokolo CampSt. SebastianTshatshi CampSt. Michael the ArchangelCETA CampSt. CorneliusOfficers' Camp (Camp des Officiers) – BadiadingiSt. Joan of ArcLoano CampOur Lady of the RosaryMbaki Camp – NdoloCongolese National Police (PNC)St. SerunkumaLufungula CampSt. GeorgePolice Training Camp – Matete
See also Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo List of Catholic dioceses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
References
Source and External links GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links