Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of UtrechtArchidioecesis Metropolitae Ultraiectensis Latinorum Aartsbisdom Utrecht |
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Coat of arms
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| Location | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Territory | Parts of the provinces Utrecht, Overijssel, Gelderland, and Flevoland |
| Coordinates | 52°05′15″N 5°07′27″E / 52.08750°N 5.12417°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2020) 4,115,800762,100 ( 18.5%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 695, Archbishopric from 12 May 1559 |
| Cathedral | Saint Catherine's Cathedral |
| Patron saint | Saint Willibrord |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Archbishop | Wim Eijk |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Theodorus Cornelis Maria Hoogenboom Herman Willebrordus Woorts |
| Emeritus Bishops | Johannes Antonius de Kok Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus (1982–2005) |
| Map | |
 The location of the Archdiocese of Utrecht in the Netherlands |
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The Archdiocese of Utrecht is a special area within the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. It is led by an archbishop, who is like a main bishop for a group of smaller church areas. This group of areas is called an ecclesiastical province. The Archbishop of Utrecht is the leader of the Utrecht province.
There are six smaller church areas, called suffragan dioceses, that are part of this province. These are the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam, Roermond, Rotterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch. The main church for the Archdiocese of Utrecht is Saint Catherine's Cathedral. This church became the main one after the old cathedral, Saint Martin's Cathedral, was taken over by Protestants during a time called the Reformation.
Contents
History of the Archdiocese
The first church area in Utrecht was started way back in the year 695.
Utrecht in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, the bishops of Utrecht were not just church leaders. They were also powerful rulers of a land area called the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht. This means they had both religious and political power. However, the church's spiritual area (the Diocese of Utrecht) was much larger than the land they ruled. In the bigger areas, the bishop only had religious power.
Changes and Re-establishment
Around 1580, the church area was closed down. This happened because many people in the Netherlands became Protestant during the Reformation. For a long time, there was no official Catholic church structure in Utrecht. Instead, a group called the Dutch Mission helped Catholics with their spiritual needs.
The modern Archdiocese of Utrecht was officially started again in 1853. This brought back the formal structure of the Catholic Church in the region.
Leaders of the Archdiocese Since 1853
Since 1853, many important leaders have guided the Archdiocese of Utrecht. These leaders are called archbishops.
Archbishops (Ordinaries)
The "ordinary" is the main bishop in charge of the archdiocese.
- Johannes Zwijsen (1853–1868)
- Andreas Ignatius Schaepman (1868–1882)
- Petrus Matthias Snickers (1883–1895)
- Henricus van de Wetering (1895–1929)
- Johannes Henricus Gerardus Jansen (1930–1936)
- Johannes de Jong (1936–1955) (He became a cardinal in 1946)
- Bernardus Johannes Alfrink (1955–1975) (He became a cardinal in 1960)
- Johannes Gerardus Maria Willebrands (1975–1983) (He became a cardinal in 1969)
- Adrianus Johannes Simonis (1983–2007) (He became a cardinal in 1985)
- Willem Jacobus Eijk (since 2007) (He became a cardinal in 2012)
Helper Bishops (Auxiliary Bishops)
Auxiliary bishops help the main archbishop with his duties.
- Theodorus Gerardus Antonius Hendriksen (1961–1969)
- Johannes Bernardus Niënhaus (1982–1999)
- Johannes Antonius de Kok, O.F.M. (1982–2005)
- Gerard Johannes Nicolaus de Korte (2001–2008) (He later became Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden)
- Theodorus Cornelis Maria Hoogenboom (since 2009)
- Herman Willebrordus Woorts (since 2009)
More to Explore
- Timeline of Utrecht
- History of religion in the Netherlands
- Roman Catholicism in the Netherlands
- Religion in Belgium
- Religion in the Netherlands
