Roman Catholic Diocese of Odesa-Simferopol

Latin Catholic jurisdiction in Ukraine

46°28′49″N 30°44′21″E / 46.4804°N 30.7391°E / 46.4804; 30.7391StatisticsArea138,000 km² (53,000 sq mi)Population
- Total
- Catholics(as of 2013)
9,980,000
33,000 (0.3%)InformationDenominationCatholic ChurchSui iuris churchLatin ChurchRiteRoman RiteEstablished4 May 2002CathedralКафедральний собор Успіння Пресвятої Діви Марії
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in OdesaCurrent leadershipPopeFrancisBishopStanislav Shyrokoradiuk, O.F.M.Metropolitan ArchbishopMieczysław MokrzyckiAuxiliary BishopsJacek Pyl, O.M.I.Map

Location of the Diocese of Odesa-Simferopol

The Diocese of Odesa-Simferopol (Latin: Odesensis-Sympheropolitanus) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southern Ukraine and Crimea.^[1] A significant part of the Latin Church in Ukraine, it covers an area equivalent to about one-third the size of Poland including areas impacted by 2014 Crimean crisis, and the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine.^[1] Since 2014, there has been a de facto inter-state border that splits the diocese.

Bronislaw Bernacki is the current bishop of the diocese. He was appointed to the See of Odesa-Simferopol in May 2002 and is based in Odesa. Jacek Pyl is an auxiliary bishop and is based in Simferopol.^[1]

History

The history of the diocese begins in 2002, when the diocese of Odesa-Simferopol was erected from the Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilskyi. The diocese's "basic work" began about the time of the Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.^[1]

Auxiliary bishop Pyl described the diocese in 2014 as “missionary territory” with “many challenges.”^[1] He reported that there were about 64 priests and 3,000 faithful in the diocese.^[1] In 2014, in Crimea there were seven parishes and 13 priests and masses were celebrated mainly in Russian but also in English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Polish.^[1]

As of 2014, Simferopol does not have a co-cathedral.^[1] “We have been waiting for the last 20 years to get permission to build a church,” Bishop Pyl is quoted as saying.^[1] Plans for a co-cathedral had been underway but were put on hold following Russian annexation of Crimea.^[1]

Geography

The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lviv of the Latins.

Bishops

Bishop Bronislaw Bernacki (4 May 2002 – 18 February 2020)^[2]
- Auxiliary Bishop Petro Herkulan Malchuk, O.F.M. (29 March 2008 – 15 June 2011)
- Auxiliary Bishop Jacek Pyl, O.M.I. (23 November 2012 – )
Coadjutor Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk, O.F.M. (2 February 2019 – 18 February 2020)^[2]
Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk (18 February 2020^[2] – present)

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Catholics in Ukrainian border diocese face suffering, uncertainty". Catholic News Agency. Sep 9, 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Resignations and Appointments, 18.02.2020" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.