July 1897 erected the Prefecture Apostolic of the British Solomon Islands, dividing it from Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania as previously asked by its bishop, . The first and only Prefect Apostolic of the British Solomon Islands was the French Marist missionary, Bishop Julien Vidal SM, titular bishop of Abydus and Vicar Apostolic of Fiji Island. Vidal resigned in 1903, to provide for the promotion of the entity to a vicariate apostolic under the name Vicariate Apostolic of the Southern Solomon Islands, with another Marist as bishop, Jean-Ephrem Bertreux. The Vicariate Apostolic was further established as a diocese in 1966, and as a metropolitan archdiocese with suffragan Gizo in 1978. Pope John Paul II, who had erected the Province of Honiara in 1978, made a pastoral visit to the Archdiocese on 9 May 1984. Geography The territory of the Archdiocese has been largely left unchanged since the erection of the Diocese of Auki in 1982. It includes the five Provinces of Guadalcanal, Makira-Ulawa, Temotu, Central Islands, Rennell and Belona, and the area governed by the Honiara Town Council. Statistical Profile The Archdiocese is responsible for some 60,312 Catholics, who represent just over 22% of the local population. 48 diocesan and religious priests with 100 religious in the 11 religious congregations present serve in 13 parishes and other apostolates. The Archdiocese also hosts the provincial seminary, Holy Name of Mary Seminary Tenaru, which was founded in 1995. Cathedral Holy Cross Cathedral, Honiara, stands on the site where it is thought that the Spanish explorer Mendaña erected a cross when he arrived in 1568. Thus had the explorer given Honiara its first name, Santa Cruz. A large church intended to be used for episcopal ceremonial was erected at Visale in 1923, but it and the remains of the murdered Bishop Épalle which had been interred there were lost to earthquake in 1930. From that time Bishop Aubin based his operations at Tanagai. The American development of Honiara as an army base and war depot turned Honiara into the new capital for the British Solomon Islands. The Catholic population tripled between 1947 and 1957, from 1000 to 3000. The first Holy Cross Church, built in 1947, was replaced by a much larger structure in 1957. The statues of the Blessed Virgin and St Joseph, which had somehow survived the Japanese air raids of the Battle of Guadalcanal, were positioned outside the 1957 church.