An apostolic vicariate is a territorial

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

under a

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

centered in

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who 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.Thoma ...

regions and countries where

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

s or

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often a promotion for a former

apostolic prefect 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 ...

ure, while either may have started out as a mission ''sui iuris''. 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 The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

for the Church to create a diocese one day. It is exempt under

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, directly subject to the missionary

Dicastery for Evangelization The Dicastery for Evangelization is a department (dicastery) of the Roman Curia. It was created on 5 June 2022 through the merger of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peop ...

of the Vatican in Rome. Like the stage of

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 ...

which often precedes it, the vicariate is not part of an

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

. It is intended to mature in developing Catholic members until it can be promoted to a (usually suffragan) diocese. The

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

counterpart is an (apostolic, patriarchal, or archiepiscopal) exarchate.

Institution

An apostolic vicariate is led by a vicar apostolic, who is usually a

. While such a territory can be classed as a

particular church In metaphysics, particulars or individuals are usually contrasted with ''universals''. Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars. Particulars are often seen as concrete, spatiotemporal entities as opposed ...

, 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 pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

—the territory comes directly under the pope as "universal bishop", and the pope exercises this authority through a "vicar".Code of Canon Law, Book II, Canon 371§1
/ref> 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 An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

. As in a regular diocese, the vicar apostolic may appoint priests as

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

s exercising limited jurisdiction over the apostolic vicariate. Normally, a

is appointed to administer the apostolic vicariate. When someone who does not qualify or has not been ordained as bishop is appointed ''ad interim'', he may be styled Pro-vicar.Fanning, William. "Vicar Apostolic." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 8 March 2023 An apostolic vicariate is to be distinguished from an

ure, a similar type of territory whose chief distinction from an apostolic vicariate is that its

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

is not a

, but a priest. The prefecture is not considered organised enough to be elevated to apostolic vicariate. The less developed instance is the

mission sui iuris In the canon law of the Catholic Church, a mission (, pl. ), also known as an independent mission, can be defined as: "an ecclesial structure erected from a previous territory, with explicit boundaries, under the care of a religious communit ...

, which other than the ones mentioned before is not a particular church, although it shares some similarities to one; at its head, an ''ecclesiastical superior'' is named. The usual sequence of development is mission, apostolic prefecture, apostolic vicariate, and finally

(or even archdiocese). See also

apostolic exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

for an Eastern Catholic counterpart. The apostolic vicariate is distinguished from a territorial abbacy (or " abbey nullius")—an area not a diocese but under the direction of the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

. Starting in 2019, new vicars apostolic, although they are (or become) bishops, are no longer assigned titular sees.

List

Current apostolic vicariates

Africa

* Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt * Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa, Ethiopia * Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi, Libya * Apostolic Vicariate of Derna, Libya * Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, Ghana * Apostolic Vicariate of Harar, Ethiopia * Apostolic Vicariate of Hosanna, Ethiopia * Apostolic Vicariate of Ingwavuma, South Africa * Apostolic Vicariate of Makokou in Gabon * Apostolic Vicariate of Meki, Ethiopia * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo,

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte The Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte () is a Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate (pre-diocesan jurisdiction) located in Nekemte, Ethiopia (where Ethiopian Orthodox, Islam and Coptic Catholicism are predominant). The see is directly subject to the Ho ...

, Ethiopia * Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues, Mauritius *

Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu The Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu () is a Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate in Namibia (southwestern Africa). Its cathedral episcopal seat is St. Mary's in the city of Rundu. Although a missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction, it is not exempt b ...

, Namibia * Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo, Ethiopia *

Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli The Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli () is a Latin Church missionary territory or apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in Tripolitania, Libya. It is immediately exempt to the Holy See, depending on the Roman Congregation for the Evangelizat ...

, Libya

The Americas

* Apostolic Vicariate of Aguarico, Ecuador * Apostolic Vicariate of Aysén, Chile * Apostolic Vicariate of Camiri, Bolivia * Apostolic Vicariate of Caroní, Venezuela * Apostolic Vicariate of Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay *

Apostolic Vicariate of Darién The Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Darién () was erected on 29 November 1925. Ordinaries *Juan José Maíztegui y Besoitaiturria, Claretians, C.M.F. (1926 - 1932) *José María Preciado y Nieva, C.M.F. (1934 - 1955) *Jesús Serrano Pastor ...

, Panama * Apostolic Vicariate of El Beni, Bolivia * Apostolic Vicariate of El Petén, Guatemala *

Apostolic Vicariate of Esmeraldas The Apostolic Vicariate (or Vicariate Apostolic) of Esmeraldas () is a missionary pre-diocesan circonscription of the Roman Catholic Church. Its cathedral see Catedral Cristo Rey is located in the town of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Esmeraldas in Ecuador ...

Asia

Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay The Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay is a Latin Catholic pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction in the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It is not a part of any ecclesiastical province as it is directly subject to the Holy See (under the jurisdic ...

, Philippines * Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane, Laos

Europe

* Apostolic Vicariate of Thessaloniki, Greece * Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul, Turkey

Historical apostolic vicariates

:(incomplete) Inactive apostolic vicariates (or former names, often promoted to diocese) are in ''italics''.

(mostly Byzantine Rite) apostolic vicariates are in bold.

Africa

The Americas

Asia

Europe

* '' Apostolic Vicariate of Bosnia'', former Ottoman Empire * '' Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Constantinople'', former Ottoman Empire * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Gibraltar'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina'', former Ottoman Empire * '' Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Macedonia'', former Ottoman Empire * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Marča'', Croatia * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Germany'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of England * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Scotland'' * '' Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Thrace'', former Ottoman Empire

Oceania

* '' Apostolic Vicariate of Alexishafen'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Central Oceania'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Fiji'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of the Gilbert Islands'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Marquesas Islands'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Oriental Oceania'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Sandwich Islands'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Tahiti'' * '' Apostolic Vicariate of Western Oceania''

References

External links

List of current Apostolic Vicariates
at GCatholic.org (regularly refreshed) {{Catholicism