In 1883 the Holy See established the Apostolic Prefecture of Patagonia Meridional, Tierra del Fuego e Islas Malvinas, which was entrusted to the Salesian congregation. In 1916, the prefecture was upgraded and its name changed to Apostolic Vicariate of Magallanes e Islas Malvinas, and on 17 January 1947, Pope Pius XII erected the diocese proper by means of the Bulla "Ut in amplissimo Patagoniae Chilensis territorio". In 1952, the Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands was separated from the diocese.
All the bishops of the diocese of Punta Arenas belonged to the Salesian congregation between 1916 and 2022.
Diocesan statistics
The diocese, which comprises the entire Chilean region of Magallanes (Magallanes y Antártida Chilena), covers a territory of 112,302 km². It is estimated than 79% of the inhabitants of the diocese are Catholic.[1] This figure represents about 120,000 Catholics out of a total population of 151,000.
Punta Arenas is the southernmost diocese in the whole Roman Catholic Church and its parishNuestra Señora del Carmen, in Puerto Williams (Navarino island), is the southernmost Catholic parish in the world.
