Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago

The Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago (Latin: Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis) is a Latin Church suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States overseas dependency of American Samoa, in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia.^[1]

The ordinary is a bishop whose seat is the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the Tafuna. He is also pastor of the co-cathedral of Saint Joseph the Worker in Fagatogo.

On Friday, May 31, 2013, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop John Quinn Weitzel M.M., and appointed the Rev. Peter Brown, C.Ss.R., the Regional Superior of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer also known as the Redemptorist Congregation in New Zealand as bishop-elect of the diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago. Brown was ordained as a bishop on August 22, 2013.

History

It was canonically erected on 10 September 1982,^[2] from a unified diocese of Samoa and Tokelau, the bulk of which became its present Metropolitan.

It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope Paul VI in November 1970.

Leadership

Apostolic administrator

• Cardinal Pio Taofinuʻu, S.M. (1982–1986)

Ordinaries

• John Quinn Weitzel, M.M. (1986–2013)
• Peter Brown, C.Ss.R. (2013–2023)
• Kolio Etuale (2023–present)

References

Sources and external links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago Official Site
• GCatholic, with incumbent bio links
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago

14°14′S 170°08′W / 14.24°S 170.14°W / -14.24; -170.14 (RC Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago)