Diocese of Laghouat
Dioecesis Laghuatensis
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Map of the Diocese of Laghouat (Shown in yellow encompassing all of the Sahara)
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| Location | |
| Country | Algeria |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediately exempt to the Holy See |
| Metropolitan | Laghouat |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,107,708 km2 (813,791 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2013) 4,324,000 1,200 (0.0%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | July 19, 1901 (1901-07-19) |
| Cathedral | Ghardaïa Cathedral (apro-cathedral) |
| Secular priests | 11 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | John MacWilliam, M. Afr. |
| Bishops emeritus | Claude Rault, M. Afr. |
| Website | |
| Diocesan Website | |
The Diocese of Laghouat (Latin: Dioecesis Laghuatensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church covering the sparsely populated Saharan inland of Algeria.
It is immediately exempt to the Holy See and not part of any ecclesiastical province, and depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The bishops cathedra is found in the Pro-Cathedral of Ghardaïa in the episcopal seeofGhardaïa. The former cathedral is the now-deconsecrated church of Saint Hilarion, in the city of Laghouat.
The diocese was established on 19 July 1901 as the Apostolic PrefectureofGhardaïa (Latin: Ghardaiensis) on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Sahara and Sudan (now the Archdiocese of Bamako in present Mali), also a pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction. It was renamed on 10 January 1921 to the Apostolic Prefecture of Ghardaïa in the Sahara (Italian: Ghardaïa nel Sahara, Latin: Ghardaiensis in Sahara.)
On 28 April 1942, it lost western territory to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Niamey (now the Archdiocese of Niamey.)
The prefecture was promoted on 10 June 1948 to an apostolic vicariate, entitled to a titular bishop.
On 5 July 1954, it lost western territory again to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara and Ifni (now named the Apostolic Prefecture of Western Sahara)
The vicariate was promoted on 14 September 1955 to the Diocese of Laghouat.
As of 2019[update], it pastorally served 2,080 Catholics (0.0% of 4,902,760 total) on 2,107,708 km² in 10 parishes with 14 priests (3 diocesan, 11 religious) and 46 lay religious (20 brothers, 26 sisters) .
32°29′00″N 3°40′00″E / 32.4833°N 3.6667°E / 32.4833; 3.6667
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