title: Roman Catholic Diocese of Darjeeling
text: # Roman Catholic Diocese of Darjeeling
  
  The Diocese of Darjeeling is a Latin Roman Catholic suffragan diocese situated in the north east of India, in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta, yet depends on the missionary Dicastery for Evangelization.
  
  It includes within its territory the independent (essentially Buddhist) Himalayan state of Bhutan, where Christianity is practiced by a tiny minority and proselytism is forbidden.
  
  The cathedral episcopal see is the Marian Immaculate Conception Cathedral, in Darjeeling, West Bengal state, India.
  
  ## Statistics
  
  New data from the Annuario Pontifico 2022 reveals as of 2021, it pastorally served 37,320 Catholics (2.4% of 1,535,370 total) on 9,521 km² in 60 parishes and missions with 147 priests (83 diocesan, 64 religious), 384 lay religious (98 brothers, 286 sisters).
  
  ## History
  
  * Established on 15 February 1929 as Mission sui juris of Sikkim, on territories split off from Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta and Apostolic Vicariate of Tatsienlu 打箭爐)
  * Promoted on 16 June 1931 as Apostolic Prefecture of Sikkim
  * Promoted on 8 August 1962 and renamed after ist see as Diocese of Darjeeling / 大吉嶺 (正體中文)
  * Lost territory on 14 June 1997 to establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bagdogra.
  
  ## Ordinaries
  
  (all Roman Rite)
  
  ### Ecclesiastical Superior of Sikkim
  
  * Father Jules Elmire Douénel, Paris Foreign Missions Society (M.E.P.) (born France) (19 February 1929 – 16 June 1931 see below)
  
  ### Apostolic Prefects of Sikkim
  
  * Father Jules Elmire Douénel, M.E.P. † (see above 19 February 1929 – retired 16 June 1931)
  * Father Aurelio Gianora C.R.S.M.A. † (d. 31 Dec 1995) (14 May 1937 – resigned 8 August 1962)
  
  ### Suffragan Bishops of Darjeeling
  
  * Most Rev. Eric Benjamin (born India) (8 August 1962 – died 12 May 1994)
  * Most Rev. Stephen Lepcha (born India) (14 June 1997).
  