Lorena, Diocese of

LORENA, DIOCESI di. – City and diocese in the state of S. Paulo in Brazil.

The diocese extends between those of Taubaté, Porto Alegre, Campanha and Barra do Piraí, with a population of approximately 150,000 inhabitants, of whom 23,000 are Catholics. It has 13 parishes with 14 diocesan priests; it has one male and two female religious communities. The diocese was created by Pope Pius XI by the apostolic constitution Ad christianae plebis of 31 July 1937, through the division of the diocese of Taubaté, elevating to cathedral the parish church dedicated to S. Maria della Pietà; the diocese is a suffragan of S. Paolo del Brasile.