Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo is one of five Latin Metropolitan Archdioceses in Madagascar, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathédrale de l'Immaculée Conception, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, in Andohalo, in the national capital city of Antananarivo. The Archbishop is Odon Marie Arsène Razanakolona, and the Auxiliary Bishop Jean-Pascal Randriantsoavina. The archdiocese was, for many years, one of the bases for the spreading of Catholicism in Madagascar and the surrounding British and especially French Indian Ocean territories like Réunion, Comoros  and others, which now form an Indian Ocean Episcopal Conference. Statistics. As per 2014 it pastorally served 957,000 Catholics (27.0% of 3,550,000 total) on 12,500 km in 77 parishes and 22 missions with 356 priests (160 diocesan, 196 religious), 2,333 lay religious (568 brothers, 1,765 sisters) and 131 seminarians. The archdiocese had a total population of about 2,1816,7149 in 2004, with about 27.1% of the residents being Catholic; 277 Priests operated in the Archdiocese, making for a ratio of 2,750 Catholics per priest. Ecclesiastical province. The suffragan dioceses and the bishops in the ecclesiastical province of Antananrivo headed by the  Metropolitan Archbishop of Antananrivo are (2017): History. On 1896.01.16 it lost Malagassy (Malgache) territory to establish the then Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Madagascar and then Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Madagascar (now Metropolitan Archdioceses). In 1898 it was accordingly renamed itself as the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Madagascar (Madagascar Centrale). On 20 May 1913, it was renamed after its see as the Apostolic Vicariate of Tananarive. It lost more Malagassy territory on Madagascar thrice more : on 1933.12.13 to establish the Mission sui juris of Miarinarivo, on 1935.06.18 to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Vatomandry and on 1938.01.08 to establish the  then Apostolic Prefecture of Morondava. On 1959.05.21 it again lost Malagassy territory to establish the Diocese of Ambatondrazaka. Ordinaries. (all Roman Rite; until World War II generally French missionaries of Latin congregations)