Diocese of Anuradhapura Dioecesis Anuradhapurensis அநுராதபுரம் மாவட்ட | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Ecclesiastical province | Colombo |
| Metropolitan | Colombo |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 10,727 km2 (4,142 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2012) 1,110,904 12,703 (1.1%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St Joseph in Anuradhapura |
| Patron saint | Saint Joseph |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Norbert Marshall Andradi |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Malcolm Ranjith |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Anuradhapura (Lat: Dioecesis Anuradhapurensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka.
Originally erected as the apostolic prefecture of Anuradhapura, the prefecture was created from territory in the Diocese of Jaffna and the Diocese of Trincomalee-Batticaloa.
The prefecture was elevated to a full diocese in 1982, and is a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Colombo.
The current bishop is Norbert Marshall Andradi, appointed in 2003.
St. Joseph's Cathedral, possibly the oldest church in Sri Lanka, was founded by the Portuguese missionary Pedro de la Fonseca in 1544. The present building dates from 1845.[1]