The Roman Catholic Church in Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 and Curia

Roman Curia

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. There are an estimated 23,000 baptised

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

 Catholics in Gibraltar, making up 86 percent of the population.

Gibraltar is a single diocese

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The Latin name for the diocese is Gibraltariensis. About twenty priests and nine sisters serve in the diocese...

 led by the Bishop of Gibraltar

Roman Catholic Bishop of Gibraltar

The Bishop of Gibraltar is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar which is immediately subject to the Holy See.The see is in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar where the bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral of St...

 and immediately subject to the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

. The present incumbent is Bishop Ralph Heskett

Ralph Heskett

Ralph Heskett, C.Ss.R. is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Gibraltar.He was educated from 1964-69 at Saint Aidan's, Sunderland, a Christian Brothers school. He was a seminarian from 1969-70, where he attended the Redemptorist Minor Seminary in Birmingham...

 C.Ss.R.

Places of worship

The primary centre of Catholic worship in Gibraltar is the Cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

, but there are also six churches and a shrine

Shrine

A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....

.

Churches

• St. Theresa's Parish Church
• St. Paul's Parish Church
• St. Joseph's Parish Church
• St. Bernard's Church
• Sacred Heart Parish Church
• Our Lady of Sorrows Church

External links

• Catholic Diocese in Gibraltar