Pope Leo establishes 3 new dioceses in 3 weeks
January 10, 2026
Pope Leo XIV has established three new dioceses in the past three weeks.
On January 8, Pope Leo established the Diocese of Bariadi, Tanzania, the sixth new diocese of his pontificate, with territory taken from the Diocese of Shinyanga. The new diocese has 366,000 Catholics, 19 parishes, 43 priests, and 48 seminarians; before the division, the Diocese of Shinyanga had 880,000 Catholics, 43 parishes, 106 priests, and 104 seminarians.
The decision follows the recent establishment of dioceses in Mozambique and Brazil.
Pope Leo previously established
- the Diocese of Xiwanzi-Chongli, China (July 8, announced September 10), a decision influenced by Chinese authorities
- the Diocese of Kapsabet, Kenya (July 10)
- the Diocese of Stella Maris, Dominican Republic (August 27), thus breaking up the massive Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, which previously had 3.48 million Catholics
- the Diocese of Caia, Mozambique (December 23)
- the Diocese of Baturité, Brazil (January 1), bringing an archbishop out of retirement to lead it
A recent Catholic World Report analysis found that larger US dioceses (over 700,000 Catholics) tend to have below-average rates of priestly vocations, marriages, infant baptisms, and conversions.
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