Chronology of Catholic Dioceses:Notes on the apostolic Prefecture of Gambella, 2000

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has created (November 16, 2000) the Prefecture Apostolic of Gambella (Ethiopia) with territory taken from the Prefecture Apostolic of Jimma-Bonga.

The new Prefecture Apostolic of Gambella (Ethiopia), is situated in the extreme west of the country, on the Sudan border, in an area which belonged to the Prefecture Apostolic of Jimma-Bonga. The new circumscription will ensure adequate evangelization ad gentes for this vast territory. In the new federal structure of Ethiopia, Gambella region is now a state and the ethnic groups living here are very different to those at Jimma-Bonga.

In the region there are Catholic communities: villages of Kambatta peoples and Sudanese refugees. At the moment religious assistance is given by 2 priests. There are 6 mission centres with relative churches. Moreover, in 1991 a compound was given to a group of Missionaries of Charity who care for the sick and the dying.

The reasons for the creation of the new diocese of Ambositra are the following:

• The vast extension of the mother-diocese
• an increase in the number of catechumens, in communities showing an interest in Christianity and in the number of conversions
• a desire to provide capillary evangelization in the diocese.

Here are the statistics of Jimma-Bonga and Gambella:

The new prefecture Apostolic comprises the Gambella district – Abwobo district-Gog district- Jur district- Itang district – Jikaw district-Akobo district – Dimma and Godere district – Ilubabor area. It has been entrusted to the Salesian Society of St John Bosco.

Source: Fides, December 8th, 2000

- CT