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The Roman Catholic Church in Luxembourg is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. The whole country is covered by the Archdiocese of Luxembourg.
The Catholic Church in Luxembourg was always a part of the Catholic Church in Germany or Belgium. The independence of the church in Luxembourg began on June 2, 1840 when the Grand Duchy was elevated to an Apostolic prefecture . The elevation to apostolic vicariate followed on September 27, 1870. However, problems between church and state appeared, sparked by the appointment of Johann Theodor Laurent, originally from Aachen, who was considered an ultramonte. His appointment was kept a secret on the express wishes of the ruler William II, a move which met with great disapproval in the state chancellery. The situation worsened, and Laurent had to leave his post in 1848. In the following years, the Church hierarchy in Luxembourg stabilised, and it was made an exempt diocese on December 27, 1870.
In 1988, Luxembourg was elevated to an Archdiocese. As of 2002[update], the archdiocese counted 380,000 members, or 86.1% of the population. The church is served by 196 Diocesan Priests, 72 religious Priests, and at least 619 Nuns.
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