View source for Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia

{{Short description|Roman Catholic archdiocese in Samoa}}
{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction      = Archdiocese<!-- Type of jurisdiction: i.e. Diocese or Archdiocese -->
| name              = Samoa-Apia
| latin             = Archidioecesis Samoa-Apiana
| local             = Puleaga Fa'aAkiepikopo Samoa-Apia
| image             = Grand Cathedral (29937423534).jpg
| image_size        = 250px
| image_alt         = 
| caption           = Immaculate Conception Cathedral
| coat              = File:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia.jpg
| coat_size         = 150px
| coat_alt          = 
| coat_caption      = 
<!---- Locations ---->
| country           = [[Samoa]]
| province          = Samoa-Apia
| deaneries         = 
| headquarters      = 
| coordinates       = <!-- Use {{coord}} -->
<!---- Statistics ---->
| area_km2          = 2,922
| area_footnotes    = 
| population        = 189,000
| population_as_of  = 2010
| catholics         = 42,500<!-- Number of Catholics in the diocese -->
| catholics_percent = 22.5
| parishes          = 38<!-- Number of parishes in the diocese -->
| churches          = <!-- Number of churches in the diocese -->
| congregations     = <!-- Number of congregations in the diocese -->
| schools           = <!-- Number of church supported schools in the diocese -->
| members           = <!-- Number of members in the diocese -->
<!---- Information ---->
| denomination      = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| sui_iuris_church  = [[Latin Church]]
| rite              = [[Roman Rite]]
| established       = 20 August 1850 ({{age|1850|8|20}} years ago)
| cathedral         = [[Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Apia|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]]
| cocathedral       = 
| patron            = 
| priests           = <!-- Number of priests in the diocese -->
<!---- Current leadership ---->
| pope              = {{incumbent pope}}
| bishop            = Most Rev. [[Mosese Vitolio Tui]]
| bishop_title      = Archbishop
| coadjutor         = 
| suffragans        = 
| auxiliary_bishops = 
| apostolic_admin   = 
| vicar_general     = 
| episcopal_vicar   = 
| judicial_vicar    = 
| emeritus_bishops  = 
<!---- Map ---->
| map               = Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia map.png
| map_size          = 
| map_alt           = 
| map_caption       = Territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia
<!---- Website ---->
| website           = 
| footnotes         = 
}}
The '''Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia''' ({{langx|la|Archidioecesis Samoa-Apiana}}; [[Samoan language|Samoan]]: ''Puleaga'' ''Fa'aAkiepikopo Samoa-Apia'') consists of [[Western Samoa|the Independent State of Samoa]].

==History==
In 1842, the Propaganda Fide created the [[Apostolic Vicariate of Central Oceania]] that included New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji Islands. This lost territory with establishment by [[canonical erection]] by the [[Holy See]] on August 20, 1850, of the [[Vicariate Apostolic of the Navigators' Archipelago]], entrusted to the [[Society of Mary (Marists)]]. On January 4, 1957, the Vatican changed the name of the Vicariate Apostolic to Samoa and the Tokelau Islands.

The vicariate apostolic was elevated to the Diocese of Apia on June 21, 1966, and made suffragan to the metropolitan see of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva|Suva, Fiji]]. On August 10, 1974, the name of the diocese was changed to Diocese of Apia o Samoa and Tokelau; and it was changed again on December 3, 1975, to the Diocese of Samoa and Tokelau.

On September 10, 1982, the diocese was elevated to the dignity of an archdiocese taking the name of the See city, [[Apia]].  Simultaneously, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago|Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago]] was created from a portion of the former Diocese of Samoa Tokelau and made suffragan to the metropolitan see of Apia.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dsaap.html|title=Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy|accessdate=2013-05-21|last=|first=}}</ref>

On 24 April 2023, Archbishop [[Alapati Lui Mataeliga]] was airlifted to [[Auckland Hospital]], in [[New Zealand]] and died in the early hours of the following morning.<ref name=Death>{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/103197 |title=Archbishop Mataeliga passes away |publisher=Samoa Observer |author=Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi |date=25 April 2023 |access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref>

==Ordinaries==
[[Image:Monseigneur Pierre BROYER.jpg|thumb|Monseigneur Pierre-Jean Broyer]]

*[[Guillaume Marie Douarre]] S.M. (1850-1853)
*[[Pierre Bataillon]], S.M.(1853–1870)
*[[Aloys Elloy]], S.M. (1870–1878)
*[[Jean-Armand Lamaze]], S.M. (1879–1896)
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Pierre-Jean Broyer|fr}} S. M. (1896–1918)<ref>Biography about Mgr Pierre-Jean Broyer in the article dedicated to his birthplace on the French Wikipedia. [[:fr:Illiat]]</ref>
*[[Joseph Darnand (bishop)|Joseph Darnand]] S. M. (1919–1953)
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Jean Baptiste Dieter|de}} S. M. (1953–1955)
*[[George Hamilton Pearce]] S. M. (1956–1967), appointed Archbishop of Suva, Fiji, Pacific (Oceania)
*[[Pio Taofinu'u]] S. M. (1968–2002), elevated to Cardinal in 1973
*[[Alapati Lui Mataeliga]] (2002–2023)
*[[Mosese Vitolio Tui]] (2024-present)

==Ecclesiastical province==
:''See: [[List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)#Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia|Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia]].''
As the metropolitan see, the archdiocese has two suffragans: the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago|Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago]] and the [[Roman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Tokelau|Mission ''Sui Iuris'' of Tokelau]]. Until March 2003, the [[Mission sui iuris of Funafuti|Mission ''Sui Iuris'' of Funafuti]] was also a suffragan, but since that date it is now a suffragan of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva|Archdiocese of Suva]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Catholicism}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Catholic Church by country]]
* [[Catholic Church in the United States]]
* [[List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)#Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia|Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia]]
* [[Global organisation of the Catholic Church]]
* [[List of Roman Catholic archdioceses]] (by country and continent)
* [[List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)]] (including archdioceses)
* [[List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view)]] (including archdioceses)
* [[List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States]]
{{div col end}}
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->

==References==
{{Reflist|1}}

==Further reading==
* ''Galuega O Le Sinoti'' (''Acts of the Snyod'' [''of the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia'']), December 7–14, 1990, promulgated, May 1, 1991, Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Apia, Samoa.

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160806133302/http://www.archdiocesesamoa-apia.ws/ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia Official Site]

{{Coord|13.8321|S|171.7660|W|source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:WS|display=title}}

{{Catholicism|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia}}
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1850]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century|Samoa-Apia]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia|Samoa-Apia]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic dioceses in Samoa]]
[[Category:1850s establishments in Samoa]]


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