Roman Catholic Diocese of Constantine

The Diocese of Constantine Hippone (Latin: Dioecesis Constantinianus - Hipponensis Regiorum ) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Algeria, based in Constantine.

History

The diocese was founded on July 25, 1866 by Pope Pius IX. founded as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Algiers; first bishop was Félix- Joseph -François -Barthélemy de Las Cases. Already on September 23, 1867 changed its name to Constantine Hippone.

Hippone, now Annaba, is the ancient Hippo Regius, the city of St. Augustine. And alone in his memory in 1867 they took this city in the name of the diocese, so that it still lives on today.

Diocese

The 110,522 km ² diocese counted 180,000 believers in 1950, 10,000 in 1980 and 1990, 4,000. Today there are still only 300 Catholics in a population of 11 million people in this region. With 12 diocesan priests (1950 there were 87), 7 religious priests and 35 nuns (1950 there were 213), in 7 parishes (1950 there were 73), the number of members of the Order has declined significantly since decades.

The departure of the French occupation resulted in the diocese to a profound restructuring, as in the other dioceses in Algeria as well. Is not without interest that most bishops were always diocesan priests.

List of bishops

• Félix- Joseph -François -Barthélemy de Las Cases (1867-1870)
• Joseph -Jean -Louis Robert (1872-1878), then Bishop of Marseille
• Prosper Dusserre Auguste (1878-1880), also Coadjutor Archbishop of Algiers
• Barthelemy Clément Combes (1881-1893), afterwards Archbishop of Carthage
• Ludovic- Henri -Marie- Julien- Laferrière Ixile (1894-1896)
• Jules- Etienne Gazaniol (1896-1913)
• Jules- Alexandre Léon BOUISSIERE (1913-1916)
• Amiel -François Bessière (1917-1923)
• Emile -Jean -François Thiénard (1924-1945)
• Léon- Etienne Duval (1946-1954), afterwards Archbishop of Algiers
• Paul -Pierre -Marie -Joseph Pinier (1954-1970)
• Jean Baptiste Joseph Scotto (1970-1983)
• Gabriel Jules Joseph Piroird Is. del Prado (1983-2008)
• Paul Desfarges SJ (since 2008)