Roman Catholic Diocese of Pyay
| Diocese of Pyay Dioecesis Pyayensis | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Myanmar |
| Ecclesiastical province | Yangon |
| Metropolitan | Yangon |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 80,906 km2 (31,238 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 9,028,000 24,300 (0.3%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established |
9 July 1940 (As Prefecture Apostolic of Akyab) 19 September 1957 (As Prefecture Apostolic of Prome) 21 February 1961 (As Diocese of Prome) 8 October 1991 (As Diocese of Pyay) |
| Cathedral | St Paul’s Cathedral in Pyay |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Alexander Pyone Cho |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Charles Maung Bo |
| Emeritus Bishops |
Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe Bishop Emeritus (1976-2010) Gregory Taik Maung Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus (1985-2010) |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pyay (Lat: Diocesis Pyayensis) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Burma.
History
Originally erected in 1940 as the apostolic prefecture of Akyab, the prefecture has the distinction of being the only ecclesiastical territory in Burma created from the Diocese of Chittagong.
In 1957, the name was changed to the apostolic prefecture of Prome.
In 1961, the prefecture was elevated to a full diocese.
Finally in 1991, the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Pyay and became a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Yangon
The most recent head of the diocese, who served up until mid-2010, was Auxiliary Bishop Gregory Taik Maung, appointed in 1991 and who was serving as Apostolic Administrator. His resignation as Apostolic Administrator was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, July 16, 2010. On Friday, December 3, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe as Bishop. The Pope appointed a Burmese priest, Alexander Pyone Cho, a native of the Pyay Diocese (on loan "fidei donum" to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina, Kansas), as the Bishop-elect of Pyay.
Ordinaries
- Bishop Thomas Albert Newman, M.S. † (12 July 1940 Appointed - 2 October 1975 Resigned)
- Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe (2 October 1975 Appointed Bishop - 3 December 2010 Resigned as Bishop)
- Auxiliary Bishop Gregory Taik Maung (1991 Appointed Apostolic Administrator - 16 July 2010 Resigned as Apostolic Administrator because of ill health); the Diocese was overseen from July 2010 to December 2010 by a neighboring Archbishop
- Bishop Alexander Pyone Cho (3 December 2010 Appointed - )