Roman Catholic Diocese of Rawson

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rawson is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in the city of Trelew in the province of Chubut in southern Argentina.

Diocese of Rawson Diócesis de Rawson
Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians
Location
Country	Argentina
Territory	Chubut departments of Rawson, Biedma, Gaimán, Florentino Ameghino, Mártires, Telsen, and Gastre
Ecclesiastical province	Bahía Blanca
Metropolitan	Bahía Blanca
Statistics
Area	50,913 km2 (19,658 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2023) 242,267 143,360 (59.2%)
Parishes	17
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	October 19, 2023; 15 months ago (2023-10-19)
Cathedral	Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Trelew
Patron saint	Mary Immaculate
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Roberto Álvarez
Metropolitan Archbishop	Carlos Azpiroz Costa

History

The diocese was created by Pope Francis on October 19, 2023, from territories of the Diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia and made Roberto Álvarez its first bishop. It is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Bahía Blanca.^[1] With the erection of this diocese, every Argentine province now has a diocese in its political capital.^[2] The founding of this diocese has attracted attention and support from local officials.^[3][4]

The diocese was formally created and its first bishop instituted at a Mass on February 17, 2024.^[5] The ceremony was led by Apostolic Nuncio to Argentina, Mirosław Adamczyk, and attended by many Argentine churchmen. Among those celebrating were Archbishop Carlos Azpiroz Costa, Bishop Oscar Ojea, and Cardinal Ángel Rossi.^[6]

In 2024 bishop Roberto Álvarez described the religious landscape of Patagonia as mission territory. "The Patagonian Church is special, and very different from the rest of Argentina. For example, we are a land of evangelisation, a mission country. This region does not have deep Christian roots".^[7]

See also

• Catholic Church in Argentina

References

1. "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
2. AICA.org.ar. "La diócesis de Rawson comenzará sus funciones el 17 de febrero - AICA.org" [The diocese of Rawson commences its functions on February 17th]. aica.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-14.
3. "Declararon de interés municipal al obispo Roberto Álvarez, titular de la Diócesis de Rawson - Canal12" [Municipal declaration of interest to Roberto Álvarez, titular bishop of the Diocese of Rawson] (in Spanish). 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
4. "Actividades por la creación de la Diócesis de Rawson" [Activities for the creation of the Diocese of Rawson]. www.diariojornada.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-14.
5. Prensa, A. C. I. "El obispo de la primera diócesis argentina creada por el Papa Francisco asumirá este sábado". ACI Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
6. Alfieri, Roxana (2024-02-18). "La Iglesia de Rawson, con las puertas y el corazón abiertos". Vida Nueva - Revista y portal de noticias religiosas y de Iglesia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
7. ACN (2024-02-12). "Argentinian Patagonia: Mission country". ACN International. Retrieved 2024-04-26.

External links

• https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/draws.html
• https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/raws0.htm