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GigaCatholic, with incumbent biography links
The Apostolic Prefecture of Azerbaijan is a Roman Catholic
signed by Pope John Paul II and former president Heydar Aliyev.
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 ...
(missionary jurisdiction) in Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, the capital of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
, not part of any ecclesiastical province. It has one church and four chapels situated in Baku, including its pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...
the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Its legal status is ensured by the local law of the Azerbaijan Republic and has a special status thanks to the Concordat
A concordat () is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 ...
signed by Pope John Paul II and former president Heydar Aliyev">Pope John Paul II"> ...
History
It was established on 11 October 2000 as Mission sui iuris of Baku, on territory split from the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus. On 4 August 2011, it was promoted as Apostolic Prefecture of Azerbaijan.Incumbents
So far, there are three Monastic Orders:Salesians
The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...
of Don Bosco (S.D.B.), Missionaries of Charity (C.M) (also known as Sisters of Mother Teresa) and Salesian Sisters (F.M.A.). There is no diocesan priest and only seven of the Salesian community are Catholic priests.
* Friar Jozef Daniel Pravda, S.D.B. (11. 10. 2000 – 18. 7. 2003)
* Friar Ján Čapla, S.D.B. (18. 7. 2003 – 11. 05. 2009)
* Friar Vladimir Fekete, S.D.B. (11. 05. 2009 – 04. 08. ''2011'')
; ''Apostolic Prefects'' of Azerbaijan
* Bishop Vladimir Fekete, S.D.B. (04. 08. 2011 – present; named a bishop, by Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
, while remaining Apostolic Prefect of Azerbaijan, on 12. 08. 2017; consecrated on 11 February 2018)
See also
*Roman Catholicism in Azerbaijan
The Catholic Church in Azerbaijan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are about 570 local Catholics in the country as of 2016. Azerbaijan is covered entirely by a single Apostolic Pre ...
Source and External links
GigaCatholic, with incumbent biography links
References