Belize, a former crown colony of England, was called British Honduras until June, 1973. It is bounded by Mexico on the North and West, Guatemala on the West and South, and the Caribbean Sea on the East. The history of present-day Belize goes back to 1638 when shipwrecked English and Scottish buccaneers started to settle.
Its diverse culture is made up of several ethnic groups: Creoles, Mestizos, Mayan and Ketchi Indians, Garinagu, East Indians, Mennonites, Lebanese and Chinese. Belize gained internal self-government in 1964 and full independence on September 21, 1981.
Its territory covers 8,867 square miles with a present population of about 405,272 of which 40.1% are Roman Catholics (December 2014).
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize was established on February 29,1956 with the appointment of Most Rev. David Francis Hickey, S.J. as first Bishop of Belize. With the dedication of the new capital Belmopan in 1970 the diocese’s name was expanded to “The Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan” with each city having a co-cathedral. The Diocese comprises the whole of Belize, Central America.
In 2022 Archbishop Santiago de Wit Guzman was appointed the Apostolic Nuncio to Belize and the Antilles.
Its diverse culture is made up of several ethnic groups: Creoles, Mestizos, Mayan and Ketchi Indians, Garinagu, East Indians, Mennonites, Lebanese and Chinese. Belize gained internal self-government in 1964 and full independence on September 21, 1981.
Its territory covers 8,867 square miles with a present population of about 405,272 of which 40.1% are Roman Catholics (December 2014).
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize was established on February 29,1956 with the appointment of Most Rev. David Francis Hickey, S.J. as first Bishop of Belize. With the dedication of the new capital Belmopan in 1970 the diocese’s name was expanded to “The Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan” with each city having a co-cathedral. The Diocese comprises the whole of Belize, Central America.
In 2022 Archbishop Santiago de Wit Guzman was appointed the Apostolic Nuncio to Belize and the Antilles.