CHITTAGONG, Diocese of. - It is a suffragan of Calcutta (India) and is entrusted to the missionaries of the Canadian province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. It was erected in 1927 with territory detached from the diocese of Dacca (v.); the following year the districts of Shylet and Cachar were added to it, detached from the apostolic prefecture of Assam (now the diocese of Shillong), and in 1940 the Burmese province of Arakan was detached from it (v. AKYAB).
The diocese today comprises the south-eastern part of Bengal, with an area of 76,629 sq. km. and about 12,731,121 inhabitants, almost all of Bengali stock and language. Of these, 7,684,578 are Mohammedans, 4,054,712 Hindus, 825,251 Buddhists, 51,167 animists, and about 102,368 Protestants. The Catholics (1948) number 11,033 and the catechumens 2,012. The first missionaries to come to C. were the Portuguese Jesuits in 1559 and then the Augustinians. Around 1875 C. was cared for by the Benedictines of the Anglo-Belgian province, and since 1889 the religious of the Holy Cross have been working there. The diocese has 10 districts with 10 primary and 70 secondary stations and with 4 churches and 10 chapels. Working there are 26 priests (of whom 7 are native), 18 brothers, 42 sisters and 51 catechists. It maintains 36 elementary schools and 4 middle schools with about 2,000 pupils, 40 higher schools with 596 pupils, a vocational school with 78 pupils and a normal school with 61 pupils. There are also 4 orphanages with 608 children and a home for the aged with 23 inmates. Catholic Action is in its beginnings.
Bibliography4 works
Valentino Belgeri