Roman Catholic Diocese of Bougainville

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bougainville is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul. It was erected as the Prefecture Apostolic of German Solomon Islands in 1898 and elevated to a Vicariate Apostolic in 1930. It was further elevated in 1966 to the Diocese of Bougainville.

Coat of arms of the diocese since 2020

The diocesan cathedral is the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, Buka. It was previously the Church of St. Michael the Archangel at the former Tubiana mission.[1][2]

Bishops

Ordinaries

• Maurizio Boch, S. M. (1920–1929)
• Thomas James Wade, S. M. (1930–1960)
• Leo Lemay, S. M. (1960–1974)
• Gregory Singkai (1974–1996)
• Henk Kronenberg, S. M. (1999–2009)
• Bernard Unabali (2009–2019)
• Dariusz Kałuża (2020–present)

Auxiliary bishop

• Bernard Unabali (2006-2009), appointed Bishop here

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

• Peter Kurongku, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Honiara, Solomon Islands in 1978

External links and references

• "Diocese of Bougainville". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
• "Bishop Bernard Unabali". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-01-10.

References

1. "Diocese of Bougainville". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
2. Laracy, Hugh. “The Pacification of Southern Bougainville, 1900–30.” Bougainville before the Conflict, edited by Anthony J. Regan and Helga M. Griffin ANU Press, 2015, pp. 108–124.