Roman Catholic Diocese of Kikwit

Diocese of Kikwit Dioecesis Kikuitensis
Location
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Metropolitan	Kinshasa
Statistics
Area	62,000 km2 (24,000 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 3,809,220 2,004,852 (52.6%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Timothée Bodika Mansiyai, P.S.S.
Website
https://diocesedekikwit.org/

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kikwit (Latin: Kikuiten(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Kikwit in the ecclesiastical province of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Established 18 April 1893 as Mission sui iuris of Kwango (or Koango), on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville
• Promoted on 31 January 1903 as Apostolic Prefecture of Kwango
• Gained territory in March 1921 from the Apostolic Vicariate of Upper Kasai
• Promoted on 28 March 1928 to Apostolic Vicariate of Kwango, hence entitled to a titular bishop
• Lost territory repeatedly:
  • On 1 April 1931 to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Kisantu,
  • On 28 January 1935 to the same;
  • On 13 April 1937 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Ipamu
  • On 25 April 1939 to the same.
  • On 24 May 1950: to the Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville
• Renamed on 21 February 1955 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Kikwit
• Lost territory on 5 July 1957 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Kenge
• Promoted on 10 November 1959 as Diocese of Kikwit

(all Roman rite, mostly missionary members of Latin congregations)

Ecclesiastical superiors of the mission sui iuris of Kwango (Koango)

(not available -- 1893-1903)

Apostolic Prefects of Kwango

• Julien Banckaert (1903 – 1911)
• Stanislas de Vos, Society of Jesus (S.J.) (1911 – 1928)

Apostolic Vicars of Kwango

• Silvain van Hee, S.J. (28 March 1928 – 20 February 1936), Titular Bishop of Possala (28 March 1928 – 26 March 1960)
• Enrico van Schingen, S.J. (17 December 1936 – 2 July 1954), Titular Bishop of Phelbes (17 December 1936 – 2 July 1954)

Apostolic Vicar of Kikwit

• André Lefèbvre, S.J. (25 February 1955 – 10 November 1959 see below), Titular Bishop of Raphanea (25 February 1955 – 10 November 1959)

Bishops of Kikwit

• André Lefèbvre, S.J. (see above 10 November 1959 – 29 November 1967), later Titular Bishop of Thucca Terebenthina (29 November 1967 – 15 September 1976)
• Alexander Mbuka-Nzundu (29 November 1967 – 14 October 1985), previously Titular Bishop of Cataquas &

Auxiliary Bishop of Kikwit (24 June 1961 – 29 November 1967)

• Édouard Mununu Kasiala, O.C.S.O. (10 March 1986 – 19 November 2016), also Apostolic Administrator of Popokabaka (Congo-Kinshasa) (1991 – 22 April 1996); previously Titular Bishop of Aquæ Flaviæ & Auxiliary Bishop of Kikwit (8 November 1984 – 10 March 1986)
• Timothée Bodika Mansiyai, P.S.S. (19 November 2016 - )

• Charles Dauvin, S.J. (1948), died without being consecrated
• Joseph Guffens, S.J. (1949-1954)

• Alexander Mbuka-Nzundu (1961-1967), appointed Bishop here
• Edouard Mununu Kasiala, O.C.S.O. (1984-1986), appointed Bishop here

• Roman Catholicism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Kwango.

• GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links
• Catholic Hierarchy