Bita (Mauretania)

For other uses, see Bita.

Africa Proconsularis (125 AD).

Bita was an ancient city and former Roman Catholic diocese in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. It is now a Latin Catholic titular see.

History

Bita was important enough in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis to become a suffragan of its capital Caesarea Mauretaniae's Metropolitan Archbishop. However it would fade.

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1931 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric, but has had a single Eastern Catholic incumbent.

It has had the following incumbents, generally of the lowest (episcopal) rank, except the latest (who was promoted to archiepiscopal, the intermediary rank) :

• Giovanni Riegler, Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (F.S.C.I.) (1948.12.09 – 1951.01.11)
• Thomas Joseph Danehy, Maryknoll Fathers (M.M.) (1952.11.27 – 1959.10.09)
• Victorio Manuel Bonamín, Salesians (S.D.B.) (1960.01.27 – 1991.11.11)
• Juan Vargas Aruquipa (1992.01.15 – 1997.08.20)
• Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, Lazarists (C.M.) (1997.11.07 – 1999.07.07) as Auxiliary Eparch of Addis Abeba of the Ethiopics (Ethiopia) (1997.11.07 – 1999.07.07), President of Council of the Ethiopian Church (1998 – ...), next Apostolic Administrator of Addis Abeba of the Ethiopics (1998.06.16 – 1999.07.07); previously Apostolic Prefect of Jimma–Bonga (Ethiopia) (1994 – 1997.11.07); later Metropolitan Archeparch sui iuris of Addis Abeba of the Ethiopics (Ethiopia) (1999.07.07 – ...), President of Ethiopian and Eritrean Episcopal Conference (1999 – ...), President of Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (2014.07.24 – ...), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Romano Martire (2015.02.14 [2015.10.18] – ...)
• Tomáš Galis (1999.08.28 – 2008.02.14)
• Frans Daneels, Norbertines (O. Praem.) (2008.04.12 – 2012.10.10 see below)
• Titular Archbishop Frans Daneels, O. Praem. (see above 2012.10.10 – ...), Secretary of Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; previously Substitute Promoter of Justice (1987 – 1989.04) and Promoter of Justice of Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (1989.04 – 2008.04.12)

See also

• Bida (North Africa), previously also called Bita, in Numidia
• Catholic Church in Algeria

References

External links

• GCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links