Catholic Church in Jamaica

Catholic Church in Jamaica
; Catholic Church in Jamaica
	Our Lady of Fatima church at Ocho Rios
Type	National polity
Classification	Catholic
Orientation	Latin
Scripture	Bible
Theology	Catholic theology
Governance	AEC
Pope	Francis
Apostolic Nuncio	Santiago de Wit Guzmán
Archbishop	Kenneth Richards
Region	Jamaica
Language	English; Latin;
Headquarters	Kingston
Origin	Early 16th century
Members	50,000 (2008)

The Catholic Church in Jamaica is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome, and further organized under the Antilles Episcopal Conference.

There are about 50,000 (2%) Catholics in Jamaica,^[1] which is divided into three dioceses, including one archdiocese:

Archdiocese of Kingston
- Diocese of Mandeville
- Diocese of Montego Bay

Additionally, the Ecclesiastical province of Kingston in Jamaica also includes the Diocese of Belize City–Belmopan and a Mission sui iuris in the Cayman Islands.

Christianity and Roman Catholicism were first brought to Jamaica by Spanish missionaries and settlers in the early 16th century. Since then, the Catholic Church has had a continuous presence in the island from the 19th century onwards. While small in number, Catholics have occupied noteworthy positions in Jamaican society, and have founded many educational institutions in the country.

The Missionaries of the Poor monastic order originated in Kingston, Jamaica.

^ ^a ^b International Religious Freedom Report 2008: Jamaica. U.S. Department of State (2008) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[us-1] International Religious Freedom Report 2008: Jamaica. U.S. Department of State (2008) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

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