Chronology of Catholic Dioceses:Notes on the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam, 2001

On 20 November 2001, it was made public that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II had created the ecclesiastical province of Vishakapatnam (India) elevating to the rank of Metropolitan Church the Episcopal see, assigning it, as suffragan dioceses, Eluru, Guntur, Nellore, Srikakulam, and Vijayawada.

The new Metropolitan Archdiocese and its suffragans were previously all part of the Metropolitan Province of Hyderabad. After the establishment of the new Metropolitan Province, the Arcidiocese of Hyderabad retains the following suffragan sees: Adibalad of the Syro-Malabars, Cuddapah, Khammam, Kurnool, Nalgonda and Warangal.

Fides, Vatican Press Office, 20 November 2001

-CT