In the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare are about 500,000 Catholics (about 10% of the population in that area).  Since 2004, the archdiocese has been led by Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu. He is the current president of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC). The seat of the archbishop is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Harare.

In the archdiocese are 44 parishes, 7 hospitals, 20 secondary schools, and 17 primary schools.  But many of these are owned or staffed by various religious orders, since there are only 38 diocesan priests but more than 100 priests from religious orders (and several hundred sisters and brothers).  Harare is also the home of the Catholic University of Zimbabwe and the Catholic chaplaincy to the University of Zimbabwe.

Organizational history

The archdiocese is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical Province of Harare in Zimbabwe, and the Primatial See of Zimbabwe. Its official Latin name is Archidioecesis Hararensis in Zimbabua. Suffragan dioceses are Chinhoyi, Gokwe, Mutare.

Established on July 2, 1879 as the Mission of Zambese sui iuris separate from the Apostolic Vicariate of Natal in South Africa, the jurisdiction was promoted and renamed several times and its boundaries were progressively reduced as five dioceses were created from it.  On January 1, 1955, it became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Salisbury and after Zimbabwean independence was renamed as the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Harare (June 25, 1982).

Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu (since 2004.06.10)

Archbishop Patrick Fani Chakaipa (1976.05.31 – 2003.04.08)

Archbishop Francis William Markall, S.J. (1956.11.23 – 1976.05.31)

Archbishop Aston Sebastian Joseph Chichester, S.J. (1931.03.04 – 1956.11.23)

Fr. Robert Brown, S.J. (1922 – 1929), Prefect

Fr. Edward Parry (1918-1922), Prefect

Fr. Richard Sykes, S.J. (1915 – 1918), Prefect

Parishes with websites

Holy Name Catholic Church, Mabelreign Parish — a full, well-illustrated website with listing of numerous groups and activities.

Our Lady of the Wayside Parish, Mt. Pleasant — a full, well-illustrated website with listing of numerous groups and activities.

Social Communications Department  of the Archdiocese has a Facebook page