Diocese of Reykjavík
Catholic diocese for all Iceland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Diocese of Reykjavík (Latin: Dioecesis Reykiavikensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church which covers the whole of the country of Iceland, and numbered 14,723 Catholics as of 2022.[1] It is directly subject to the Holy See.[2]
IcelandDiocese of Reykjavík Dioecesis Reykiavikensis Biskupsdæmi Reykjavíkur | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Territory | Iceland |
| Ecclesiastical province | Directly subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 6 |
| Churches | 18 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 18 October 1968 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King |
| Patron saint | Saint Thorlak |
| Secular priests | 6 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Dávid Bartimej Tencer |
| Vicar General | Damian Wyżkiewicz |
| Website | |
| catholica.is | |
History
The Apostolic Prefecture of Iceland was created in 1923 and this was elevated to an Apostolic Administration in 1929, which in turn was elevated to the status of a diocese in 1968. In 2015 the then bishop, Pierre Bürcher retired and Father Dávid Bartimej Tencer, OFM Cap., was appointed to succeed him as the fifth bishop of the diocese. The bishop of Reykjavík participates in the Scandinavian Bishops Conference. The vicar general is Fr. Patrick Breen, rector of Landakot Cathedral, Christ the King Parish.
The Diocese of Reykjavík is a modern creation. The medieval church was represented by the sees of Skálholt (created 1056) and Hólar (1106), but these became Lutheran during the Reformation. (These two sees were amalgamated in 1801 into a single diocese under the Bishop of Iceland in the Lutheran Church of Iceland.) Iceland remained without Roman Catholic prelates until the Apostolic Prefecture was established at Reykjavík in 1923.[3]
Episcopal ordinaries
The following most recent heads of the Catholic Church in Iceland were bishops:
| No. | Bishop | Term | Appointor | Coat of arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Martin Meulenberg | 1923 - 1941 | Pope Pius XI |  |
| 2 | Jóhannes Gunnarsson | 1924 - 1967 | Pope Pius XII | | |
| No. | Bishop | Term | Appointor | Coat of arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hendrik Hubert Frehen | 1968 - 1986 | Pope Paul VI |  | |
| 2 | .jpg) |
Alfred Jolson | 1987 - 1994 | John Paul II | |
| 3 | .jpg) |
Joannes Gijsen | 1996 - 2007 | John Paul II |  |
| 4 | Pierre Bürcher | 2007 - 2015 | Benedict XVI |  | |
| 5 |  |
Dávid Bartimej Tencer | 2015- | Pope Francis |  |