Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in France
The Ordinariate for Eastern (Rite) Catholics in France (or France of the Eastern Rite) (French: Ordinariat des catholiques de rite oriental résidant en France) is a Catholic Ordinariate for Eastern Catholic faithful (pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction within a Latin rite territory), jointly for Eastern Catholics in various rites and languages of particular churches sui iuris without proper jurisdiction there.
It is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, and depends directly on its Roman Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
It remains vested in the Latin Church Metropolitan Archbishop of national capital Paris, the incumbents of which so far were all created Cardinals.
It is headquartered 24 rue de Babylone, 75007 Paris.
History
It was established on 1954.06.16, on the territory of France, previously only served pastorally by the Latin church.
However it was to lose jurisdiction over three Eastern Catholic rite-specific particular churches sui iuris' to the following jurisdictions directly dependent on their particular chiefs, but not part of any ecclesiastical province :
- Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Sainte-Croix-de-Paris, in and for France, immediately subject to the Patriarch of Cilicia
- Maronite Eparchy of Notre-Dame du Liban de Paris, immediately subject to the Patriarch of Antioch
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Vladimir the Great of Paris, directly subject to the Major Archbishop, for France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 21,700 Eastern Catholics in 9 parishes with 30 priests (27 diocesan, 3 religious), 2 deacons, 32 lay religious (13 brothers, 19 sisters) and 5 seminarians.
Episcopal Ordinaries
(all Roman Rite)
- Ordinaries of France of Eastern Rite
(for bios, see also the Metropolitan Paris see)
- Maurice Feltin (1954 – 1966.12.21)
- Pierre Veuillot (1967 – 1968.02.14)
- François Marty (1968.03.29 – 1981)
- Jean-Marie Lustiger (1981.03.12 – 2005.03.14)
- André Vingt-Trois (2005.03.14 – ...)
It has had one Auxiliary Bishop :
- Jean-Édouard-Lucien Rupp (1954.10.28 – 1962.06.09), Titular Bishop of Arca in Phœnicia (1954.10.28 – 1962.06.09), later Bishop of Monaco (1962.06.09 – 1971.05.08); promoted Titular Archbishop of Dionysiopolis (1971.05.08 – 1983.01.28) as papal diplomat : Apostolic Pro-Nuncio (papal envoy) to Iraq (1971.05.08 – 1978), Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Kuwait (1975 – 1978), Permanent Observer to Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva (UNOG) (1978 – retired 1980); died 1983