Archdiocese of Natal

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Natal

*Archidioecesis Metropolitae Natalensis*
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Natal; Archidioecesis Metropolitae Natalensis
Catholic
	Cathedral
	Coat of arms
Location
Country	Brazil
Statistics
Area	25,153 km2 (9,712 sq mi)
Population Total; Catholics;	(as of 2004); 1,923,667; 1,627,542 (84.6%);
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	29 December 1909 (116 years ago)
Cathedral	Catedral Metropolitana ; Nossa Senhora da Apresentação
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Metropolitan Archbishop	João Santos Cardoso
Auxiliary Bishops	José Silvio de Brito
Bishops emeritus	Heitor de Araújo Sales; Matias Patrício de Macêdo; Jaime Vieira Rocha
Website
	www.arquidiocesedenatal.org.br

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Natal (Latin: Archidioecesis Metropolitae Natalensis) is an archdiocese located in the city of Natal in Brazil.

History

December 29, 1909: Established as the Diocese of Natal from the Diocese of Paraíba
February 16, 1952: Promoted as the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Natal

Bishops

Ordinaries, in reverse chronological order

Archbishops of Natal (Roman rite), below
- Archbishop João Santos Cardoso (since 2023.07.05)
- Archbishop Jaime Vieira Rocha (2011.12.21 - 2023.07.)
- Archbishop Matias Patrício de Macêdo (2003.11.26 – 2011.12.21)
- Archbishop Heitor de Araújo Sales (1993.10.27 – 2003.11.26)
- Archbishop Alair Vilar Fernandes de Melo (1988.04.06 – 1993.10.27)
- Archbishop Nivaldo Monte (1967.09.06 – 1988.04.06)
- Archbishop Marcolino Esmeraldo de Souza Dantas (1952.02.16 – 1967.04.08)
Bishops of Natal (Roman Rite), below
- Bishop Marcolino Esmeraldo de Souza Dantas (later Archbishop) (1929.03.01 – 1952.02.16)
- Bishop José Pereira Alves (1922.10.27 – 1928.01.27)
- Bishop Antônio dos Santos Cabral (1917.09.01 – 1921.11.21), appointed Bishop of Belo Horizonte; future Archbishop
- Bishop Joaquim Antônio d’Almeida (1910.10.23 – 1915.06.14)

Auxiliary bishops

Eugênio de Araújo Sales (1954–1964), appointed Apostolic Administrator of São Salvador da Bahia; future Cardinal
Antônio Soares Costa, appointed Bishop of Caruaru, Pernambuco in 1993

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

José Tomas Gomes da Silva, appointed Bishop of Aracajú in 1911
Francisco Canindé Palhano, appointed Bishop of Bonfim, Bahia in 2006
Edilson Soares Nobre, appointed Bishop of Oeiras, Piaui in 2017

Suffragan dioceses

Sources

5°47′17″S 35°12′14″W / 5.7881°S 35.2038°W / -5.7881; -35.2038

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