Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries where a diocese has not yet been established. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more. The hope is that the region will generate sufficient numbers of Catholics for the Church to create a diocese.
An apostolic vicariate is led by a vicar apostolic who is usually a titular bishop. While such a territory can be classed as a particular church, according to canon 371.1 of the Latin Code of Canon Law, a vicar apostolic's jurisdiction is an exercise of the jurisdiction of the Pope — the territory thus comes directly under the pope as "universal bishop", and the pope exercises this authority through a “vicar”. This is unlike the jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop, whose jurisdiction derives directly from his office.
Like any ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an apostolic vicariate may be administered by the bishop of a neighbouring diocese, or by a priest appointed transitionally as an apostolic administrator. As in a regular diocese, the vicar apostolic may appoint priests as vicars exercising limited jurisdiction over the apostolic vicariate. Normally, however, an apostolic vicariate is administered by a titular bishop of its own.
An apostolic vicariate is to be distinguished from an apostolic prefecture, a similar type of territory whose chief distinction from an apostolic vicariate is that its prefect is not a bishop, but a mere priest. The latter is not organised enough to be elevated to apostolic vicariate. The less developed instance is the mission sui iuris, which other than the ones mentioned before is not a particular Church, although it shares some similarities to one; for it as well, a superior is named. The usual sequence of development is mission, apostolic prefecture, apostolic vicariate, and finally diocese.
The apostolic vicariate is distinguished from a territorial abbacy (or "abbey nullius") — an area not a diocese but under the direction of the abbot of a monastery.
Apostolic vicariates
Inactive apostolic vicariates are in italics.
Africa
- Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt
- Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa, Ethiopia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi, Libya
- Apostolic Vicariate of Bomadi, Nigeria
- Apostolic Vicariate of the Congo
- Apostolic Vicariate of Dahomey
- Apostolic Vicariate of Derna, Libya
- Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, Ghana
- Apostolic Vicariate of French Congo, or Lower Congo
- Apostolic Vicariate of Francistown, Botswana
- Apostolic Vicariate of Harar, Ethiopia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Hosanna, Ethiopia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Ingwavuma, South Africa
- Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo, Kenya
- Apostolic Vicariate of Kamerun, Cameroon
- Apostolic Vicariate of Kenia, Kenya
- Apostolic Vicariate of Kimberley in Orange, South Africa
- Apostolic Vicariate of Kontagora, Nigeria
- Apostolic Vicariate of Makokou in Gabon
- Apostolic Vicariate of Meki, Ethiopia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo, Chad
- Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte, Ethiopia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Victoria Nyanza
- Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues, Mauritius
- Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu, Namibia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Sahara
- Apostolic Vicariate of Senegambia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Shire
- Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo, Ethiopia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Sudan or Central-Africa
- Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli, Libya
- Apostolic Vicariate of Unyanyembe
The Americas
- Apostolic Vicariate of Aguarico, Ecuador
- Apostolic Vicariate of San José de Amazonas
- Apostolic Vicariate of Athabasca
- Apostolic Vicariate of Aysén, Chile
- Apostolic Vicariate of Beni
- Apostolic Vicariate of Bluefields, Nicaragua
- Apostolic Vicariate of Camiri, Bolivia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Caroní, Venezuela
- Apostolic Vicariate of Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay
- Apostolic Vicariate of Darién, Panama
- Apostolic Vicariate of El Beni, Bolivia
- Apostolic Vicariate of El Petén, Guatemala
- Apostolic Vicariate of Esmeraldas, Ecuador
- Vicariate Vicariate of Galapagos, Ecuador
- Apostolic Vicariate of Goajira
- Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Iles Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
- Apostolic Vicariate of Inírida, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of Izabal, Guatemala
- Apostolic Vicariate of Jaén in Peru/San Francisco Javier
- Apostolic Vicariate of Keewatin
- Apostolic Vicariate of Leticia, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Lower California
- Apostolic Vicariate of Machiques, Venezuela
- Apostolic Vicariate of Marysville
- Apostolic Vicariate of Mackenzie
- Apostolic Vicariate of Méndez, Ecuador
- Apostolic Vicariate of Mitú, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Montevideo, Uruguay (erected 1830, promoted to Diocese 1878)
- Apostolic Vicariate of Napo, Ecuador
- Apostolic Vicariate of Ñuflo de Chávez, Bolivia
- Vicariate Apostolic of Pando, Bolivia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Pilcomayo, Paraguay
- Apostolic Vicariate of Pucallpa, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela
- Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Carreño, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Gaitán, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Maldonado, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of Puyo, Ecuador
- Apostolic Vicariate of Reyes, Bolivia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Requena, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of San José de Amazonas, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of San Miguel de Sucumbíos, Ecuador
- Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramon, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of San Vicente–Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Sucumbíos
- Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Trinidad, Colombia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Tucupita, Venezuela
- Apostolic Vicariate of Ucayali, Peru (was suppressed in 1956 by erection of the three new vicariates)
- Apostolic Vicariate of Yurimaguas, Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of Zamora, Ecuador
Asia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Amoy
- Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia, Turkey
- Apostolic Vicariate of Aleppo, Syria
- Apostolic Vicariate of Batavia, Indonesia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Beirut, Lebanon
- Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe, Philippines
- Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
- Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, Philippines
- Apostolic Vicariate of Changanacherry, India
- Apostolic Vicariate of Ernakulam
- Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo, Philippines
- Apostolic Vicariate of Kiang-nan, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam
- Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang, Laos
- Apostolic Vicariate of Madras, India
- Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, Nepal
- Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia
- Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Kan-Su, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Shan-Si, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Shantung, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Paksé, Laos
- Apostolic Vicariate of Patna, India
- Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Princesa, Philippines
- Vicariate Apostolic of Quetta, Pakistan
- Vicariate Apostolic of San Jose in Mindoro, Philippines
- Apostolic Vicariate of Savannakhet, Laos
- Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates & Yemen
- Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shan-Si, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shan-Tung, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shen-Si, China
- Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk, Philippines
- Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Philippines
- Apostolic Vicariate of Trichur, India
- Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane, Laos
Europe
- Apostolic Vicariate of Gibraltar
- Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul, Turkey
- Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Germany
- Apostolic Vicariate of Scotland
- Vicariate Apostolic of Thessaloniki/Θεσσαλονίκης, Greece
Oceania
- Apostolic Vicariate of Central Oceania
- Vicariate Apostolic of Western Oceania
- Apostolic Vicariate of Fiji
- Apostolic Vicariate of Marquesas Islands
- Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania
- Apostolic Vicariate of Sandwich Islands
- Apostolic Vicariate of Tahiti
See also
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view)
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses
- List of Roman Catholic military dioceses
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic administrations
- List of Eastern Catholic exarchates
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic prefectures
- List of Roman Catholic territorial prelatures
- List of Roman Catholic missions sui juris
External links
- List of Current Apostolic Vicariates by GCatholic.org
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apostolic vicars. |
|