Organization
The country is currently split into two Ecclesiastical provinces each headed by Archbishops - Shkodër-Pult in the north and Tiranë-Durrës in the centre and south. Shkodrë-Pult has two suffragan Diocese for Lezhë and Sapë. Tiranë-Durrës has one suffragan Diocese for Rrëshen as well as metropolitan authority over the Byzantine Rite Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania, also known as the Albanian Greek-Catholic Church.
| Name | Area | Catholic Population | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult | Shkodër | 133,000 | 65% |
| Diocese of Lezhë | Lezhë | 85,000 | 71% |
| Diocese of Sapë | Zadrima, Vau-Dejes | 90,000 | 45% |
| Archdiocese of Tiranë-Durrës | Tirana | 105,000 | 9% |
| Diocese of Rrëshen | Rrëshen | 57,000 | 24% |
| Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania | Southern Albania | 3,000 | 0.2% |
The first known Bishop of present-day Albania was Bassus, who was made Bishop of Scutari (Shkodër) in 387, suffragan to the Bishop of Thessaloniki, Primate of all Illyricum. In the 6th century Shkodër became a suffrage of Ohrid, in the present-day Republic of Macedonia, which was made the Primate of all Illyricum, and by the early Middle Ages, Shkodër was suffrage of the Bishop of Duklja, in present-day Montenegro. In 1867 Shkodër was united with the Archdiocese of Antivari (Bar, Montenegro), but split in 1886, to became a separate Archdiocese once again with suffragan bishops in Lezhë, Sapë and Pult.
The Diocese of Pult (Pulati) - a region north of Shkodër between the present day villages of Drisht and Prekal - dates back to 899, when a Bishop of Pult was appointed as a suffragan to the Bishop of Duklja. The Diocese was once divided into Greater Pult and Lesser Pult but eventually merged with Shkodër in 2005. Drisht, a village north of Shkodër, also used to be a separate Bishopric. The Diocese of Sapë (Sappa) - covering the region of Zadrima between Shkodër and Lezhë - dates back to 1062, and that of Lezhë (Alessio) to the 14th century. The Archdiocese of Durrës was created in the 13th century as the Bishopric of Albanopolis. It united with Tirana in 1992. The Diocese of Rrëshen was split off in 1996.
The Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania was created in 1939.
Other former ancient Diocese in Albania were Dinnastrum and Balazum.
Read more about this topic: Roman Catholicism In Albania
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