This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2012)

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 [edit]

Inactive apostolic vicariates are in italics.

Africa [edit]

• Vicariate Apostolic of Alexandria of Egypt
• Vicariate Apostolic of Awasa, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Benghazi, Libya
• Vicariate Apostolic of Bomadi, Nigeria
• Vicariate Apostolic of the Congo
• Vicariate Apostolic of Dahomey
• Vicariate Apostolic of Derna, Libya
• Vicariate Apostolic of Donkorkrom, Ghana
• Vicariate Apostolic of French Congo, or Lower Congo
• Vicariate Apostolic of Francistown, Botswana
• Vicariate Apostolic of Harar, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Hosanna, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Ingwavuma, South Africa
• Vicariate Apostolic of Isiolo, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Kamerun, Cameroon
• Vicariate Apostolic of Kenia, Kenya
• Vicariate Apostolic of Kimberley in Orange, South Africa
• Vicariate Apostolic of Kontagora, Nigeria
• Vicariate Apostolic of Meki, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Mongo, Chad
• Vicariate Apostolic of Nekemte, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Victoria Nyanza
• Vicariate Apostolic of Rodrigues, Mauritius
• Vicariate Apostolic of Rundu, Namibia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Sahara
• Vicariate Apostolic of Senegambia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Shire
• Vicariate Apostolic of Soddo, Ethiopia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Sudan or Central-Africa
• Vicariate Apostolic of Tripoli, Libya
• Vicariate Apostolic of Unyanyembe

The Americas [edit]

• Vicariate Apostolic of Aguarico, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of San José del Amazonas
• Vicariate Apostolic of Athabasca
• Vicariate Apostolic of Aysén, Chile
• Vicariate Apostolic of Beni
• Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields, Nicaragua
• Vicariate Apostolic of Camiri, Bolivia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Caroní, Venezuela
• Vicariate Apostolic of Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay
• Vicariate Apostolic of Darién, Panama
• Vicariate Apostolic of El Beni, Bolivia
• Vicariate Apostolic of El Petén, Guatemala
• Vicariate Apostolic of Esmeraldas, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of Galápagos, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of Goajira
• Vicariate Apostolic of Guapi, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Iles Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
• Vicariate Apostolic of Inírida, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Iquitos, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of Izabal, Guatemala
• Vicariate Apostolic of Jaén in Peru/San Francisco Javier
• Vicariate Apostolic of Keewatin
• Vicariate Apostolic of Leticia, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Lower California
• Vicariate Apostolic of Machiques, Venezuela
• Vicariate Apostolic of Marysville
• Vicariate Apostolic of Mackenzie
• Vicariate Apostolic of Méndez, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of Mitú, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Montevideo, Uruguay (erected 1830, promoted to Diocese 1878)
• Vicariate Apostolic of Napo, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of Nuflo de Chávez, Bolivia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Pando, Bolivia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Pilcomayo, Paraguay
• Vicariate Apostolic of Pucallpa, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela
• Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Carreño, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Gaitán, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Maldonado, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of Puyo, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of Reyes, Bolivia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Requena, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of San José de Amazonas, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of San Miguel de Sucumbíos, Ecuador
• Vicariate Apostolic of San Ramon, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of San Vicente–Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Sucumbíos
• Vicariate Apostolic of Tierradentro, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Trinidad, Colombia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Tucupita, Venezuela
• Vicariate Apostolic of Ucayali, Peru (was suppressed in 1956 by erection of the three new vicariates)
• Vicariate Apostolic of Yurimaguas, Peru
• Vicariate Apostolic of Zamora, Ecuador

Asia [edit]

• Vicariate Apostolic of Amoy
• Vicariate Apostolic of Anatolia, Turkey
• Vicariate Apostolic of Aleppe, Syria
• Vicariate Apostolic of Batavia, Indonesia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Beirut, Lebanon
• Vicariate Apostolic of Bontoc-Lagawe, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Brunei, Brunei
• Vicariate Apostolic of Calapan, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Changanacherry, India
• Vicariate Apostolic of Ernakulam
• Vicariate Apostolic of Jolo, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Kiang-nan, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam
• Vicariate Apostolic of Luang Prabang, Laos
• Vicariate Apostolic of Madras, India
• Vicariate Apostolic of Nepal, Nepal
• Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Kan-Su, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Shan-Si, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Shan-Tung, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Paksé, Laos
• Vicariate-Apostolic of Patna, India
• Vicariate Apostolic of Phnom-Penh, Cambodia
• Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Princesa, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Quetta, Pakistan
• Vicariate Apostolic of San Jose in Mindoro, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Savannakhet, Laos
• Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates & Yemen
• Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Shan-Si, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Shan-Tung, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Shen-Si, China
• Vicariate Apostolic of Tabuk, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Taytay, Philippines
• Vicariate Apostolic of Trichur, India
• Vicariate Apostolic of Vientiane, Laos

Europe [edit]

• Vicariate Apostolic of Gibraltar
• Vicariate Apostolic of Istanbul, Turkey
• Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Germany
• Vicariate Apostolic of Scotland
• Vicariate Apostolic of Thessaloniki/Θεσσαλονίκης, Greece

Oceania [edit]

• Vicariate Apostolic of Central Oceania
• Vicariate Apostolic of Western Oceania
• Vicariate Apostolic of Fiji
• Vicariate Apostolic of Marquesas Islands
• Vicariate Apostolic of New Pomerania
• Vicariate Apostolic of Sandwich Isands
• Vicariate Apostolic of Tahiti

See also [edit]

Catholicism portal

• 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 [edit]

• List of Current Apostolic Vicariates by Giga-Catholic Information

v t e Catholic Church Organizations, papacy, teachings and liturgical traditions History Jesus Twelve Apostles Early Christianity History of the papacy Ecumenical Councils Missions Great Schism of East Crusades Great Schism of West Protestant Reformation Counter-Reformation Catholic Church by country Hierarchy Pope Cardinals Patriarchs Major Archbishops Primates Metropolitans Archbishops Diocesan Bishops Theology Body and Soul Divine Grace Dogma One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church Original sin Salvation Sermon on the Mount The Ten Commandments Trinity Worship Sacraments Anointing of the Sick Baptism Confirmation Eucharist Holy Orders Matrimony Penance Mariology Roman Catholic Mariology Assumption History of Mariology Immaculate Conception Mariology of the popes Mariology of the saints Mother of God Perpetual Virginity Veneration Doctors of the Church Gregory the Great Ambrose Augustine of Hippo Jerome John Chrysostom Basil of Caesarea Gregory of Nazianzus Athanasius of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Jerusalem John of Damascus Bede the Venerable Ephrem the Syrian Thomas Aquinas Bonaventure Anselm of Canterbury Isidore of Seville Peter Chrysologus Leo the Great Peter Damian Bernard of Clairvaux Hilary of Poitiers Alphonsus Liguori Francis de Sales Peter Canisius John of the Cross Robert Bellarmine Albertus Magnus Anthony of Padua Lawrence of Brindisi Teresa of Ávila Catherine of Siena Thérèse of Lisieux John of Ávila Hildegard of Bingen Pope Benedict XVI Conclave Theology Works Resignation Dominus Iesus Sacramentum Caritatis Deus Caritas Est Summorum Pontificum Spe Salvi Caritas in Veritate Preceding popes Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul I Pope Paul VI Pope John XXIII Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XI Pope Benedict XV Pope Pius X Pope Leo XIII Pope Pius IX Religious institutes and similar Assumptionists Augustinians Benedictines Capuchin Order Carmelites Carthusians Congregations of Holy Cross Dominican Order Franciscan orders Jesuits Oratory of Saint Philip Neri Vatican II Definition of the Church Dei Verbum Gaudium et Spes Lumen Gentium Nostra Aetate Sacrosanctum Concilium Particular Churches and liturgical rites Alexandrian Coptic Ethiopic Antiochian Maronite Syriac Syro-Malankara Armenian Armenian Byzantine Albanian Belarusian Bulgarian Croatian Greek Hungarian Italo-Albanian Macedonian Melkite Romanian Russian Ruthenian Slovak Ukrainian East Syrian Chaldean Syro-Malabar Latin Roman Anglican Use Sarum Ambrosian Mozarabic Catholicism portal Pope portal