MULTAN, Diocese of. - The mission of M. owes its origins to the Capuchin missionaries, who during and after the English occupation of the Punjab, established several stations with churches and residences for military chaplains, including that of M. in 1859. It was part of the Diocese of Lahore until 1936, when (17 Dec.) it was separated from Lahore, erected as an apostolic prefecture, and entrusted to the Dominicans. On 20 July 1939, it was elevated to a diocese and made a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Delhi and Simla.
It has an area of 144,695 sq. km. and is located in the southern part of the Punjab Province in West Pakistan. On 15 July 1950, with the establishment of the new ecclesiastical province of Karachi for the districts in West Pakistan, it became a suffragan of the said metropolitan see.
According to approximate calculations, the total population is 10,026,000. Catholics number 38,121, plus 8,888 catechumens; Protestants about 60,000; low-caste Ammists and Hindus 30,000; the rest of the inhabitants profess the Muslim religion. There are 8 churches and 48 chapels, 12 missionary districts with resident priests. Due to its recent establishment, the diocese has no parishes or almost no canonically erected parishes. The missionaries number 22, all Dominicans (16 Italians and 4 Indians), assisted by 14 Dominican Sisters, 19 Missionary Sisters of Mary, and 9 Missionary Sisters of the School. Charitable works include 1 hospital with 80 beds, 7 dispensaries, and 3 orphanages with 200 orphans. Education is provided in 14 elementary schools, almost all co-educational; 4 middle schools and an equal number of high schools; 20 male teachers, 37 female teachers, and 56 catechists. The spoken language is Punjabi, but the official language, the only one taught in schools, is Urdu. Catholic Action associations are still in their infancy and difficult to organize because the faithful are mostly scattered in numerous villages.