The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chittagong (), renamed Chattogram on 28 December 2018, is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh. The Archdiocese of Chittagong is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of Chittagong, which includes the suffragan dioceses of Roman Catholic Diocese of Khulna and Roman Catholic Diocese of Barisal, both in Bangladesh. However it remains dependent on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
It was renamed the Archdiocese of Chattogram in 2018.
Its cathedral is Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral, in the Bengal city of Chittagong.
The Archdiocese of Chittagong comprises the 17 civil districts of Chittagong: Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachori, Noakhali, Feni, Laxmipur, Bhola, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barisal, Jhalakathi, Borguna, Gopalganj, Madaripur and Shariatpur.
The Archdiocese is in the southern part of Bangladesh and covers 33% of the total surface of the country, making it physically its largest diocese.
Ecclesiastical province
Its suffragan sees are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Barisal (its daughter) and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Khulna. Before 2 February 2017, both were under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka.
History
In 1537, Portugal established a settlement of Dianga in the area of Chittagong, bringing the Catholic Church and missionaries with them. The first churches were set up in 1600 in a settlement which now forms Dianga and the city of Chittagong. Jesuit Father Francesco Fernandez, who came to Dianga in 1598, and who was blinded and tortured and died in captivity on November 14, 1602, is Bengal's first martyr.
In 1845 Chittagong became the seat of the first Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Bengal, and later the administration was transferred to Dhaka. Noakhali was also the first place to have the Holy Cross missionaries who arrived there in June, 1853.
The Diocese of Chittagong was canonically erected on May 25, 1927, splitting off about half of the territory that then comprised the Diocese of Dhaka. The newly erected bishopric then included Chittagong, Noakhali, Barisal, Gournadi, Narikelbari, Haflong, Badarpur, Akyab, Sandoway, Gyeithaw and Chaugtha. It was entrusted to the care of the Canadian Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Atypically, its first two Ordinaries remained Titular bishops, as if merely Apostolic vicars.
Akyab, Sandoway etc. in present Myanmar were handed over to the La Salette Fathers in the future Apostolic Prefecture of Akyab in 1937–38. On 9 July 1940, the Apostolic Prefecture of Akyab (in Burma (now the Diocese of Pyay) was separated from the Diocese.
When the ecclesiastical province of Dhaka was created in July, 1950, Chittagong became a suffragan of the new Metropolitan of Dhaka.
Later in 1952, portions of the Diocese of Chittagong situated in Assam (northeast India) were detached to form the Apostolic Prefecture of Haflong, and later the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Silchar (now the Diocese of Agartala) and the Diocese of Aizawl.
On 29 December 2015, the Diocese of Barisal, now one of its suffragans, was created from the diocese.
On February 2, 2017 the bishopric was elevated by Pope Francis to metropolitan rank as Archdiocese of Chittagong, with two suffragans, and on December 28, 2018 was renamed Chattogram.
Episcopal ordinaries
(all Roman rite, so far members of a Latin missionary congregation)
Suffragan Bishops of Chittagong
Alfredo Le Pailleur, Holy Cross Fathers (C.S.C.) (June 18, 1927 – 1951.03.08), Titular Bishop of Ciparissia (1951.03.08 – death 1952.04.12) Raymond Larose, C.S.C. (March 20, 1952 – retired August 3, 1968), Titular Bishop of Thysdrus (1968.08.03 – death 1984.05.17) Joachim J. Rozario, C.S.C. (August 3, 1968 – retired June 30, 1994), died 1996 Patrick D’Rozario, C.S.C. (February 3, 1995 – November 25, 2010); previously Bishop of Rajshahi (Bangladesh) (1990.05.21 – 1995.02.03); later Coadjutor Archbishop of Dhaka (2010.11.25 – 2011.10.22), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Dhaka (2011.10.22 – ...), also President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh (2011.12 – ...), created Cardinal-Priest of Nostra Signora del SS. Sacramento e Santi Martiri Canadesi (2016.11.19 – ...) Auxiliary Bishop: Lawrence Subrata Howlader, C.S.C. (2009.05.07 – 2015.12.29), appointed Bishop of Barisal Moses Costa, C.S.C. (April 6, 2011) - February 2, 2017 see below); previously Bishop of Dinajpur (Bangladesh) (1996.07.05 – 2011.04.06), Secretary General of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh (2007.07 – ...)