PANAMA, ARCHDIOCESE of. — It has an area of 51,206 sq. km., with a population of 717,430 inhabitants, of whom 675,000 are Catholics; it has 70 parishes served by 38 diocesan priests and 75 regular clergy; it has 1 seminary, 18 male and 19 female religious communities (Ann. Pont., 1952, p. 309).
The diocese was created by Leo X on 9 Sept. 1513; in 1545 Paul III made it suffragan to Lima.
The first bishop of the diocese was the Franciscan Juan de Quevedo, who had the cathedral of S. Maria Antiqua erected. After him the Dominican Vincenzo di Pedrosa was appointed bishop and established himself in the present city. On 29 Nov. 1925 it was raised to metropolitan status by Pius XI; its first archbishop was Msgr. G. Royas y Arrieta.
There are many religious communities in the archdiocese, including Jesuits, Lazarists, and Discalced Augustinians, who direct various colleges; there is also an orphanage run by the Salesians.