PANAMA, ARCHDIOCESE OF. – It has an area of 51,206 sq. km. with a population of 717,430 inhabitants, of whom 675,000 are Catholic; it comprises 70 parishes served by 38 diocesan priests and 75 regular clergy; one seminary, 18 male religious communities and 19 female (Ann. Pont., 1952, p. 309).
The diocese was created by Leo X on 9 Sept. 1513; in 1545 Paul III made it a suffragan of Lima.
The first bishop of the diocese was the Franciscan Juan de Quevedo, who had the cathedral of Santa María la Antigua erected. He was succeeded by the Dominican Vincenzo di Pedrosa, who took up residence in the present city. On 29 Nov. 1925 it was raised to the status of metropolitan see by Pius XI; the first archbishop was Msgr. G. Royas y Arrieta.
In the archdiocese there are many religious communities of Jesuits, Lazarists, Discalced Augustinians who direct various colleges; there is also an orphanage run by the Salesians.