GIBILTERRA (GIBRALTAR). – Rocky peninsula that closes the Bay of Algeciras to the E., at the southern extremity of Spain, blocking the entrance to the Mediterranean.
So called (Gobel at-Tāriq, “Mountain of Tāriq”) in memory of the commander who led the Arabs into Spain in 711, it was conquered by the English in 1704, who turned it into a fortified stronghold. As a military colony, it is governed by the commander of the garrison (governor), assisted by an executive council of 7 members. The isthmian zone between G. and Spain (0.81 sq. km) is neutral territory.
A civilian population of 22,532 inhabitants (1948), Spanish-speaking and Catholic, lives on 5 sq. km. The port is a very busy port of call for merchant ships.
Giuseppe Caraci
THE DIOCESE OF G. — The peninsula of G. received its first evangelization with the Spanish conquest (1492). In a short time the Catholic religion gained numerous converts, and the parish of S. Maria Coronata was founded, placed under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Cadiz. Following the English occupation (1704), the inhabitants abandoned the territory almost en masse, Catholic worship was prohibited, and ecclesiastical property passed to the Protestants.
In 1771 England established there, for religious administration, a commission of seniors which remained in office for several years, obstructing every Catholic initiative. In 1806 the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, since the bishop of Cadiz was unable to provide pastoral care for the peninsula’s faithful, directly appointed the priest Isidoro Dominguez parish priest of the territory. He attended to the spiritual needs of the new settlers, most of them Genoese, who had been invited by the English. In 1817 the apostolic vicariate of G. was erected; it became a diocese on 19 November 1910 and was entrusted to the Benedictine Fathers of the Primitive Observance. The territory of this ordinariate comprises the entire peninsula, with an area of 5.62 sq. km. There are 20,246 Catholics, most of Italian origin; others are Spanish, while others are of English and Irish origin. The total population is 23,868 inhabitants, of whom 886 are Jews, approximately 5,082 Protestants, and about one hundred Muslims. The English government is tolerant toward Catholics. The clergy consists of 6 local priests and 13 foreigners. There are also some Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of Loreto. The diocese has two parishes and 5 primary stations, with three churches and three chapels. The Catholic schools comprise 8 elementary, 3 secondary, and 2 vocational schools. There are 2 orphanages and 2 homes for the elderly.