Roman Catholicism in Bhutan
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The Roman Catholic Church in Bhutan is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.
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[edit] Origins
Two religious orders - Jesuits (in 1963) and Salesians (in 1965) were invited to the country to direct schools. The Salesians were expelled in February 1982 on disputed charges of proselytism. The only Catholic missionary allowed to stay in the country was Canadian Jesuit Father William Mackey who served Catholics there from 1963 until his death in 1995.[1]
[edit] 21st century
There are thought to be little over 500 Catholics in the country and Christians of all denominations are subject to persecution.[2] The official religion is Buddhism and all other religions are prohibited.[3] Territorially, Bhutan comes under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Darjeeling in India.[4] On Palm Sunday, April 8th, 2001, Bhutanese police went to churches and registered the names of believers and threatened the pastor with imprisonment after an interrogation.[5] It is illegal for Christians to hold public services and priests are often denied visas to enter the country.[6] The first Bhutanese catholic priest, Jesuit Kinley Tshering, was ordained in 1986. He is allowed to travel freely in Bhutan, and celebrates Christmas mass under the pretext of his birthday, also on December 24th.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Asia at a Glance. Fides (April 17th, 1998). Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
- ^ Dubey, Prakash (February 23rd, 2006). Almost no place for minority religions on Bhutan’s national TV. Asianews.it. Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
- ^ a b No masses and entry visas for Catholic priests. AsiaNews.it (January 20th, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
- ^ Tande, Claes (July 19th, 2000). Chronology of Catholic Dioceses:Bhutan. katolsk.no. Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
- ^ Christians Told To Leave Faith Or Leave Bhutan. Catholic World News (April 20th, 2001). Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
- ^ Coday, Dennis (January 16th, 2004). Bhutan bans public masses. Catholic National Reporter. Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
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