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Archdiocese of Yaoundé Archidioecesis Yaundensis Archidiocèse de Yaoundé
Location
Country	Cameroon
Headquarters	Yaoundé, Cameroon
Statistics
Area	4,964 km2 (1,917 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2023) 3,227,830 1,506,620 (46.7%)
Parishes	187
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	18 March 1890 (1890-03-18)
Cathedral	Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, Yaoundé
Secular priests	732
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Metropolitan Archbishop	Jean Mbarga
Bishops emeritus	Simon-Victor Tonyé Bakot

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé (Latin: Yaunden(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Yaoundé in Cameroon.

History

• 18 March 1890: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Cameroun from the Apostolic Vicariate of Two Guineas in Gabon
• 2 January 1905: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Cameroun
• 3 April 1931: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Yaoundé
• 14 September 1955: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Yaoundé

Special churches

The seat of the metropolitan archbishop is the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires in Yaoundé. There is also a Minor Basilica at Mary Queen of the Apostles Basilica in Yaoundé.

Bishops

Ordinaries, in reverse chronological order

• Metropolitan Archbishops of Yaoundé (Roman rite), below
  • Archbishop Jean Mbarga (31 Oct 2014 – Present)
    • Apostolic Administrator Jean Mbarga (29 Jul 2013 – 31 Oct 2014)
  • Archbishop Simon-Victor Tonyé Bakot (18 Oct 2003 – 29 Jul 2013), resigned
  • Archbishop André Wouking (27 Nov 1998 – 10 Nov 2002)
  • Archbishop Jean Zoa (11 Sep 1961 – 20 Mar 1998)
  • Archbishop René Graffin, C.S.Sp. (14 Sep 1955 – 6 Sep 1961), resigned; see below
• Vicars Apostolic of Yaoundé (Roman rite), below
  • Bishop René Graffin, C.S.Sp. (4 Mar 1943 – 14 Sep 1955); see above
  • Bishop François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. (3 Apr 1931 – 4 Mar 1943); see below
• Vicars Apostolic of Cameroun (Roman rite), below
  • Bishop François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. (19 May 1923 – 3 Apr 1931); see above
    • Apostolic Administrator François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. (6 May 1922 – 19 May 1923)
  • Bishop Franziskus Hennemann, S.A.C. (7 Nov 1914 – 21 Jun 1922), appointed Prefect of Cape of Good Hope, Central District, South Africa
  • Bishop Heinrich Vieter, S.A.C. (2 Jan 1905 – 7 Nov 1914); see below
• Prefect Apostolic of Cameroun (Roman rite), below
  • Father Heinrich Vieter, S.A.C. (18 Mar 1890 – 2 Jan 1905); see above

Coadjutor vicars apostolic

• Franziskus Xaver Hennemann, S.A.C. (1913-1914)
• René Marie Graffin, C.S.Sp. (1931-1943)

Auxiliary bishops

• Paul Etoga (1955-1961), appointed Bishop of Mbalmayo
• Jean-Baptiste Ama (1974-1983), appointed Bishop of Sangmélima
• Christophe Zoa (2006-2008), appointed Bishop of Sangmélima

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Jean-Marie Benoît Balla, appointed Bishop of Bafia in 2003
• Joseph Befe Ateba, appointed Bishop of Kribi in 2008
• Dieudonné Espoir Atangana (priest here, 1986-1987), appointed Bishop of Nkongsamba in 2012

Suffragan Dioceses

• Bafia
• Ebolowa
• Kribi
• Mbalmayo
• Obala
• Sangmélima

See also

• Roman Catholicism in Cameroon

Sources

• GCatholic.org