WARANGAL, DIOCESE OF. - Erected by decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith on 8 January 1953, by separation from the Indian diocese of Hyderabad of the three civil districts of Warangal, Karimnagar, and Nalgonda.
It is entrusted to the priests of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions of Milan, who, having left the reduced diocese of Hyderabad to the care of the native clergy, have withdrawn into the territory of the new circumscription.
Constituted as a suffragan of Madras, it borders the dioceses of Hyderabad, Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam. The language spoken by the majority is Telugu. It is situated in central India and has an area of 18,840 sq. km. and a population of 3 million, of whom 22,500 are Catholics, 300,000 are Muslims, and the rest are pagans. The episcopal see is W., capital of the homonymous district, a city easily accessible from the various missionary stations, which number about 18 with 300 substations, and a center of notable importance where the missionaries are building a cathedral, schools, a hospital, and all that is necessary for a diocesan headquarters. There are 30 fathers of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions working there, assisted by some brothers and a considerable number of sisters from various religious congregations. There are some charitable and social institutions in the process of development. There is no seminary.
