Roman Catholicism in Lesotho
The Roman Catholic Church in Lesotho is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. It represents the largest religious group in Lesotho.
History
In January 1862 asked the Catholic Bishop François Allard and the priest Father Joseph Gérard of the Congregation of the Oblates the head of the Basotho, Moshoeshoe I, to be allowed to settle at its registered office Thaba Bosiu. He pointed them to a position at Ha Tloutle, 14 kilometers to the south. They founded as the third Christian church under Moshoeshoe I. a mission station, which they called Motse oa ' M'a Jesus (village the mother of Jesus ). In 1868 there were only a hundred local Catholics. They were called Baroma ( " The Romans " ), so that the place came to be called Roma. Father Gerard founded another mission stations in the north Basutolands. 1886 was the control of the Vicariate of Natal transferred to the Bishop of Kimberley. 1894 by Pope Leo XIII. the Apostolic Prefecture of Basutoland formed from territorial concessions from the Apostolic Vicariate of Kimberley in Orange; he assumed the administration of the prefecture of the Congregation of the Oblates. In 1900 there were about 5,000 Catholics in Basutoland. On February 18, 1909 was made by Pope Pius X, the name of the Vicariate Apostolic of Basutoland.
The Catholic Church tolerated the bride price and polygamy, which earned her especially with the barena sympathies. 1912 settled Griffith Lerotholi baptized Catholic; henceforth were all barena ba Baholo Catholics. At the funeral of Father Gerard, 1914 in Roma came around 15,000 mourners. 1931, the first Mosotho priest was ordained. 1933 a printing press was set up in Mazenod. There, since the weekly Moeletsi oa Basotho is printed. In the early 1930s, the French OMI priests were replaced by French-Canadian priest of the OMI. 1934 led the Church almost 370 schools. In addition, several hospitals have been established. In 1936, the number of Catholics with 112,000 the number of followers of the Lesotho Evangelical Church.
1945 was established in Roma the Pius XII College, which later became the state National University of Lesotho. In 1950, the Catholic Church established the first radio station in the country. On January 11, 1951, the survey was conducted to a diocese by Pope Pius XII.
From the 1950s, the church intervened in the politics of the pro-independence country. In 1957 the foundation of the Christian Democratic Party, but the party was not successful. Instead supported the Catholic Church along with the colonial administration and the South African apartheid government, the conservative Basutoland National Party ( BNP), but lost the election in 1960. Father M. Gareau then founded the Anti- Communist League, which merged in 1962 with the BNP. At the 1965 election, there was a strong support of the BNP from the pulpit - this election won the BNP. 1966, there were about 500 nuns in Lesotho.
By Pope Paul VI. took place on 10 November 1977, the foundation of the Archdiocese of Maseru as a Metropolitan bishopric. Assigned to the Archdiocese of Maseru are the suffragan dioceses in Leribe (1952 ), Qacha 's Nek (1961) and Mohale 's Hoek (1977). In the 1990s, nearly 75 percent of primary and secondary schools in Lesotho were run by the Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church in Lesotho is administered by the Episcopal Conference of Lesotho (Lesotho Catholic Bishops ' Conference, LCBC ). Presidents have been:
The Office of the representative of the Holy See in Lesotho - the Apostolic Nuncio - was established in 1967. Nuncio Archbishop James Patrick Green since 2006. 1988 Pope John Paul II Lesotho. Father Gerard was beatified by the Pope.
Liturgical language is English. The largest Catholic church building in Lesotho is established in 1958 Cathedral of our Lady of Victories in Maseru.
Dioceses
- Archdiocese of Maseru: Leribe diocese, diocese of Mohale 's Hoek, Bishopric Qacha 's Nek