A mission ''

sui iuris ''Sui iuris'' ( or ) also spelled ''sui juris'', is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both secular law and the Catholic Church's canon law. The term church ''sui iuris'' is used in the Catholic '' Code of Ca ...

'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, ranking below an

apostolic prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

and an apostolic vicariate, in an area with very few Catholics, often desolate or remote. The clerical head is styled Ecclesiastical Superior and can be a regular cleric, titular or diocesan

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

, archbishop or even a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

, but if of episcopal rank often resides elsewhere (notably, in another diocese or the Vatican) in chief of his primary office there. It can either be exempt (i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, like

Apostolic prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

s and Apostolic Vicariates), or

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of a Metropolitan Archbishop, hence part of his

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

Current missions ''sui iuris''

As of March 2017, the only remaining cases — all of the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

— were: In

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

: *

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...

In the Atlantic Ocean : * Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, vested in the

Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands ( la, Apostolica Præfectura de Insulis Falkland) is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church covering the Falkland Islands and South Georgi ...

In the Caribbean : *

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica (pastoral responsibility of the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...

) *

Turks and Caicos The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Nassau (pastoral responsibility of the

Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jers ...

) In

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

: *

Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of lan ...

, in

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...

, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Suva *

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Samoa-Apia Those for which no province is named are exempt, i.e. directly under the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

Former missions ''sui iuris''

''by continent and (present/colonial) country :''(probably still incomplete; ?all Latin =

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while di ...

) ;In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

: * Mission sui iuris of Batavia ''alias Holland - or Dutch mission'' (Netherlands) * Mission sui iuris of Central Norway (now Territorial Prelature of Trondheim) * Mission sui iuris of Northern Norway (now Territorial Prelature of Tromsø) * Mission sui iuris of Norway (now diocese of Oslo) ;In

: * Mission sui iuris of Baku (Azerbaijan; promoted Apostolic Prefecture) *

Mission sui iuris of Coromandel Coast The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore la, Pondicherien(sis) et Cuddaloren(sis) is an archdiocese located in the cities of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India. History With a land area of 11,348 square kilome ...

(India; now Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore) *

Mission sui iuris of Gazireh The Missio(n) sui iuris of Gazireh was a short-lived (1935-53) Latin Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction ''sui iuris'' in part of Asian Turkey, based on the Ancient city and former see of Gazireh. History Established in 1935 as Missi ...

(Turkey; suppressed) *

Mission sui iuris of Hindustan The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agra ( la, Agraën(sis)) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state. It comproses the following districts in Uttar Pradesh: Agra, Aligarh, Auraiya, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Etah, E ...

(India; repeated promotions; now Metropolitan Archdiocese of Agra) *

Mission sui iuris of I-li The Mission sui juris of I-li was a pre-diocesan Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or mission ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church in Mongol-imperial China, notably in (mostly Muslim) East Turkestan. History * In 1320, the jurisdiction ...

(imperial China; suppressed) *

Mission sui iuris of Karafuto The Apostolic Prefecture of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk is a Latin Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction on the Russian (ex-Japanese) Far Eastern island Sakhalin. It is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastica ...

(Japan; promoted Apostolic Prefecture, became Soviet/Russian, renamed Yuzhno Sakhalinsk) *

Mission sui iuris of Kyrgyzstan The Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan is a Roman Catholic (Latin Church) Apostolic Administration (pre-diocesan jurisdiction; originally an Independent Mission) for the Catholics of Kyrgyzstan ( West Turkistan, Central Asia). It is exempt, i ...

(nation; promoted Apostolic Administration) * Mission sui iuris of Miyazaki (Japan; promoted Apostolic Prefecture, now diocese of Oita) *

Mission sui iuris of Mossul The Mission sui iuris of Mossul was a Latin Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction in northern Iraq, notably Kurdistan. It was exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See (notably the Roman missionary Congregation Propaganda Fide), not ...

(Kurdistan, notably northern present Iraq; suppressed) *

Mission sui iuris of Nepal The Catholic Church in Nepal is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. As of 2011 there are over 10,000 Catholics in Nepal, organized into one Catholic jurisdiction known as an apostolic vica ...

(nation; promoted Apostolic Vicariate) * Mission sui iuris of Outer Mongolia (Mongolia; renamed

Mission sui juris of Urga The Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar ( la, Praefectura Apostolica Ulaanbaatarensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin apostolic prefecture (pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction) located in Mongolia, with its territory consisting of the entire country. ...

) *

Mission sui iuris of Qiqihar The Apostolic Prefecture of Qiqihar (or Tsitsikar) () is a Latin Church missionary jurisdiction in Heilongjiang province, China. Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathedral of St. Michael in the city of Qiqihar. It is exempt, i.e. directly sub ...

, alias Tsitiskar (China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture) *

Mission sui iuris of Rajaburi The ( Roman Catholic) Diocese of Ratchaburi (''Diœcesis Ratchaburensis'', th, สังฆมณฑลราชบุรี) is a Latin suffragan diocese of the archdiocese of Bangkok in western central Thailand. The diocese covers an area of ...

(Thailand; now diocese Ratchaburi) * Mission sui iuris of Rajputana (India; promoted Apostolic Vicariate, now Diocese of Ajmer) *

Mission sui iuris of Shiqian The Apostolic Prefecture of Shiqian (Shihtsien, Guizhou) is a Latin pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in PR China. It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See and its Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of P ...

= Shihtsien (China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture) *

Mission sui iuris of Sikkim The Diocese of Darjeeling is a Latin Roman Catholic suffragan diocese situated in the north east of India, in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the E ...

(Indian state and

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

; promoted twice, now Diocese of Darjeeling) *

Mission sui iuris of Syria and Cilicia The Mission sui iuris of Syria and Cilicia (also the Apostolic Prefecture of Syria and Cilicia from 1817 to 1896) was a Latin Church pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in the regions of Ottoman Syria, Syria, Ottoman Iraq, ...

? (partially in present Iraq; temporarily promoted Apostolic Prefecture, demoted back, suppressed) * Mission sui iuris of Trabzon (Asian Turkey; promoted Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia) *

Mission sui iuris of Uzbekistan The Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan is a Roman Catholic (Latin Church) Apostolic Administration (pre-diocesan jurisdiction; originally an Independent Mission) for the Catholics of Uzbekistan (West Turkistan, Central Asia). It is exempt, i.e. ...

(nation; promoted Apostolic Administration) *

Mission sui iuris of Urga The Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar ( la, Praefectura Apostolica Ulaanbaatarensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin apostolic prefecture (pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction) located in Mongolia, with its territory consisting of the entire country. ...

= Ulanbator (imperial China China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, for (Outer) Mongolia) * Mission sui iuris of Xinjiang-Urumqi (China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture) *

Mission sui iuris of Yixian The Apostolic Prefecture of Yixian is a Latin Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction in the PR China, near Beijing and Baoding. History On 1929.05.25, the jurisdiction was established as Mission sui juris of Yixian 易縣 (中文) alias ...

(China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture) ;In

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

: * Mission sui iuris of San Andrés y Providencia (Colombia; promoted Apostolic Vicariate) * Mission sui iuris of Valparaíso (Chile; promoted Diocese) *

Mission sui iuris of Valdivia The Roman Catholic Diocese of Valdivia ( la, Valdivien(sis)) is a Latin rite suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of Concepción in Chile. Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral Nuestra Señora del Rosario, dedicated to Our Lady of ...

(Chile; promoted Diocese) ;In

: *

Mission sui iuris of Drisdale River The Mission sui iuris of Kalumburu (originally Drysdale River) was a Roman Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction in Western Australia from 1910–1980. History It was established on 4 May 1910 as Mission sui juris of Drysdale River on ...

(Australia, renamed Kalumburu; suppressed) * Mission sui iuris of Eastern Carolines (Federated States of Micronesia) *

Mission sui iuris of Kalumburu The Mission sui iuris of Kalumburu (originally Drysdale River) was a Roman Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction in Western Australia from 1910–1980. History It was established on 4 May 1910 as Mission sui juris of Drysdale River on ...

(Australia; suppressed) *

Mission sui iuris of the Marshall Islands The Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands ( la, Praefectura Apostolica Insularum Marshallensium) is a Latin rite apostolic prefecture (pre-diocesan missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, below apostol ...

(suppressed; later revived as Apostolic Prefecture) *

Mission sui iuris of Western Carolines The Catholic Diocese of Caroline Islands ( la, Diœcesis Carolinensium) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Federated States of Micronesia and in the Republic of Palau. It is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Cat ...

(idem & Palau) ;In

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

: *

Mission sui iuris of Belgian Congo The Archdiocese of Kinshasa (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Kinshasana''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Kinshasa'') is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its ecclesiastic territory includes the capital city o ...

(or ''Congo Belge''; (then Belgian) Congo) *

Mission sui iuris of Bikoro The Roman Catholic Diocese (formerly a missionary jurisdiction) of Bikoro was a Latin Church diocese in (initially Belgian) Congo (Zaire) from 1931 to 1975, named after its then headquarters/ episcopal see Bikoro, run by the Congregation of the Mis ...

((then Belgian) Congo) * Mission sui iuris of Cunene (Angola) * Mission sui iuris of Kenya (Kenya; various promotions, now Archdiocese of Nyeri) *

Mission sui iuris of Kwango The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kikwit ( la, Kikuiten(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Kikwit in the Ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. History * Establi ...

((then Belgian) Congo) *

Mission sui iuris of Lunda Lunda (or Mlundi) was a Latin Catholic Mission sui iuris (primary pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction) in Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital ...

(Angola) *

Mission sui iuris of Lwangwa The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mpika ( la, Mpikaën(sis)) is a Latin rite suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kasama, Archbishop of Kasama, also in Zambia. Its cathedral episcopal see ...

(Zambia) *

Mission sui iuris of Miarinarivo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Miarinarivo ( la, Miarinariven(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Miarinarivo in the Ecclesiastical province of Antananarivo in Madagascar. History * December 13, 1933: Established as Mission “sui iuris” ...

(Madagascar, now a diocese) * Mission sui iuris of Tukuyu (Tanzania, now Diocese of Mbeya) *

Mission sui iuris of Upper Kassai The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kananga ( la, Archidioecesis Kanangana) is the Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan Episcopal See, See for the Ecclesiastical province of Kananga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Special churches The epis ...

((then Belgian) Congo) *

Mission sui iuris of Zambesia The Zambesi Mission was a Catholic prefecture division in Rhodesia. Location The prefecture comprised all Rhodesia south of the Zambesi River, that part of Bechuanaland which is north of the Tropic of Capricorn and east of the 22nd degree of longi ...

(Zimbabwe, then Southern Rhodesia)

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org - List of current Missions sui iuris (consulted September 2015)
{{Catholicism

Current missions ''sui iuris''

Former missions ''sui iuris''

See also

Sources and external links