Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan (Lat: Dioecesis Multanensis) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.

The diocese is located in the southern Punjab in a central part of Pakistan. The total population of the diocese is about 7.5 million, out of which Christians are about 200,000. The diocese of Multan covers an area of 100,705 km² and comprises the following civil boundaries. In the Multan Division, the districts of Multan, Vehari, Khanewal and Lodhran. In the Bahawalpur Division, the districts of Bahawalnagar, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. In the Dera Ghazi Khan Division the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Rajanpur.

In 1936 some adjacent districts of Multan and the State of Bahawalpur were detached from Lahore to form the prefecture Apostolic of Multan. In 1939 this area was detached from Lahore to become a separate diocese. In 1960 the diocese was divided and Bishop Cialeo moved to Faislabad as the first bishop of the newly erected diocese of Faisalabad. Bishop Louis Scheerer was appointed the second bishop of Multan. In 1966 Bishop Louis Scheerer died and Bertrand Boland became the Bishop of Multan diocese. In 1984 Bishop Boland retired and handed over to his auxiliary Bishop Patras Yusaf. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lahore.

The Cathedral of the Holy Redeemer is the main church of the Diocese.^[1]

The diocese is also home to the Pastoral Institute of Multan which serves the Church at a national level.^[2]

On 3 October 1989, Pope John Paul II sent congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the diocese. The diocese had 10 parishes with about 50,000 Catholics at the time.^[3] By June 2008 this had grown to 18 parishes.^[4]

On 17 September 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed Father Raymond Saeed apostolic administrator for the Diocese.^[5]

On 10 January 2000, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Fr. Andrew Francis from the Archdiocese of Lahore as the new bishop.^[6]

On 29 October 2001 four gunmen entered St. Dominic’s Church, Bahawalpur in the Diocese and shot and killed 15 worshippers and a police guard.^[7]

On 29 April 2010 Pope Benedict XVI elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta to the rank of apostolic vicariate. He appointed Fr. Victor Gnanapragasam as apostolic vicar of the new ecclesiastical circumscription and the titular bishop of Timida.^[8] Fr. Victor was parish priest at Khanewal in the Multan Diocese from 1979-1985.

On 13 June 2014 Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Andrew Francis, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, and appointed Rev. Benny Mario Travas, of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi (Karachi, Pakistan) as Apostolic Administrator "Sede Vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the same Diocese.^[9]

Ordinaries

• Francesco Benedetto Cialeo, O.P. † (15 January 1937 Appointed - 13 April 1960 Appointed, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lyallpur, in Lyallpur, Pakistan)
• Aloysius Louis Scheerer, O.P. † (13 April 1960 Appointed - 27 January 1966 Died)
• Ernest Bertrand Boland, O.P. (17 May 1966 Appointed - 20 October 1984 Resigned)
• Patras Yusaf † (20 October 1984 Appointed - 29 December 1998 Died)
• Andrew Francis (3 December 1999 Appointed^[10] - 13 June 2014 Resigned^[11])
• Benny Mario Travas (15 August 2015 - present)

Schools

St Albans High School, Multan

La Salle Higher Secondary School

St Mary's Higher Secondary School

Sacred Heart Girls High School

Dominican Convent Bahawalpur

Dominican Study Center Bahawalpur

St. Joseph's High School Saeed Colony Multan

St. Joseph's High School Bishop’s House Multan

St. Anthony's High School Louis Colony Multan

St. Peter's Primary School Gulzeb Colony Vehari Road, Multan

St. Joseph's High School Civil Lines, Khanewal

St. Vincent's High School Chak 133/16-L Distt. Khanewal

St. John Primary School Chak # 120/T.D.A. Distt. Layyah

Dar-ul-Tarbiat (Ibn-e-Mariam) High School Chak # 270/T.D.A. Loretto, Distt. Layyah

St. Joseph's High School Chak # 75/B Tehsil Karore Distt. Layyah

Mission High School Chak # 270/T.D.A. Loretto Distt. Layyah

Holy Cross High School Church Road, Rahimyar Khan

St. Dominic High School Model Town-A Bahawalpur

St. Joseph's High School, Yousaf Town, Bahawalpur

St. Joseph's Convent High School Chak 133/16-L Distt. Khanewal

St. Raphael's Primary School Christian Colony, Muzaffargarh

St. Jude's High School Chak # 5/4-L Rungpur Distt. Muzaffargarh

St. Joseph's Middle School Chak # 11/W.B. Catholic Church Vehari

St. Michael's English Medium High School (Regd) # 571/T.D.A Chowk Munda, Derekabad

St. Mary's Middle School Chak # 587/T.D.A Derekabad

Good Shepherd Convent School, Naqasband Colony Rasheedabad, Multan

Dominican's Primary School, Razabad Colony, Multan

See also

• Catholic Church in Pakistan

References

Roman Catholicism in Pakistan
Episcopal conference	Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan
Archdioceses	Karachi Lahore
Dioceses	Faisalabad Hyderabad Islamabad-Rawalpindi Multan
Apostolic vicariate	Apostolic Vicariate of Quetta
Cathedrals	Cathedral of the Holy Redeemer Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Hyderabad St. Joseph's Cathedral, Rawalpindi Holy Rosary Church, Pro-Cathedral of Quetta
Congregations	Daughters of Saint Paul Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools Oblates of Mary Immaculate Daughters of the Cross Dominicans Franciscans
Local orders	Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King
Educational institutions	Category:Roman Catholic schools in Pakistan
Notable Roman Catholics	Category:Pakistani Roman Catholics
Catholicism portal Pakistan portal

Coordinates: 30°02′00″N 71°45′00″E / 30.0333°N 71.7500°E / 30.0333; 71.7500