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. In turn, the status of Apostolic vicariate is often a promotion for a former apostolic prefecture, while either may have started out as a mission sui iuris.
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. When someone who does not qualify or has not been ordained as bishop is appointed ad interim, he may be styled Pro-apostolic vicar.
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 (titular) 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; at its head, an ecclesiastical superior is named. The usual sequence of development is mission, apostolic prefecture, apostolic vicariate and finally diocese (or even archdiocese). See also apostolic exarch 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 of a monastery.
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Inactive apostolic vicariates (and/or former names, often promoted to diocese) are in italics. Eastern Catholic (mostly Byzantine Rite) apostolic vicariates are in bold.
Note: the following vicarates cover entire countries rather than small sections of a country:
Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam (Brunei)
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia)
Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (Oman, United Arab Emirates & Yemen)
Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Constantinople, former Ottoman Empire
Apostolic Vicariate of Gibraltar
Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul, Turkey
Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Macedonia, former Ottoman Empire
Apostolic Vicariate of Marča, Croatia
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Germany
Apostolic Vicariate of Scotland, UK
Vicariate Apostolic of Thessaloniki/Θεσσαλονίκης, Greece
Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Tracia, former Ottoman Empire
Apostolic Vicariate of Aguarico, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of Alaska
Apostolic Vicariate of San José de Amazonas
Apostolic Vicariate of Athabasca
Apostolic Vicariate of Aysén, Chile
Apostolic Vicariate of Beni
Apostolic Vicariate of Bluefields, Nicaragua
Apostolic Vicariate of Camiri, Bolivia
Apostolic Vicariate of Caroní, Venezuela
Apostolic Vicariate of Casanare
Apostolic Vicariate of Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay
Apostolic Vicariate of Darién, Panama
Apostolic Vicariate of El Beni, Bolivia
Apostolic Vicariate of El Petén, Guatemala
Apostolic Vicariate of Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Vicariate Vicariate of Galapagos, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of Goajira
Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Iles Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
Apostolic Vicariate of Inírida, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of Izabal, Guatemala
Apostolic Vicariate of Jaén in Peru/San Francisco Javier
Apostolic Vicariate of Keewatin
Apostolic Vicariate of Leticia, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Limón, Costa Rica
Apostolic Vicariate of Lower California
Apostolic Vicariate of Machiques, Venezuela
Apostolic Vicariate of Marysville
Apostolic Vicariate of Mackenzie
Apostolic Vicariate of Méndez, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of Mitú, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Montevideo, Uruguay (erected 1830, promoted to Diocese 1878)
Apostolic Vicariate of Napo, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of Ñuflo de Chávez, Bolivia
Vicariate Apostolic of Pando, Bolivia
Apostolic Vicariate of Pilcomayo, Paraguay
Apostolic Vicariate of Pucallpa, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela
Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Carreño, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Gaitán, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of Puyo, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of Reyes, Bolivia
Apostolic Vicariate of Requena, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of Riohacha, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of San Gabriel de la Dolorosa del Maranon (renamed Yurimaguas), Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of San José de Amazonas, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of San José del Guaviare, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of San Miguel de Sucumbíos, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramon, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of San Vicente–Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Sucumbíos
Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Trinidad, Colombia
Apostolic Vicariate of Tucupita, Venezuela
Apostolic Vicariate of Ucayali, Peru (was suppressed in 1956 by erection of the three new vicariates)
Apostolic Vicariate of Yurimaguas, Peru
Apostolic Vicariate of Zamora, Ecuador
Apostolic Vicariate of Amoy
Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia, Turkey
Apostolic Vicariate of Aleppo, Syria
Apostolic Vicariate of Batavia, Indonesia
Apostolic Vicariate of Beirut, Lebanon
Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe, Philippines
Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, Philippines
Apostolic Vicariate of Changanacherry, India
Apostolic Vicariate of Ernakulam
Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo, Philippines
Apostolic Vicariate of Kiang-nan, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Korea
Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam
Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang, Laos
Apostolic Vicariate of Madras, India
Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, Nepal
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Kan-Su, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Shan-Si, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Shantung, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Paksé, Laos
Apostolic Vicariate of Patna, India
Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Vicariate Apostolic of Puerto Princesa, Philippines
Vicariate Apostolic of Quetta, Pakistan
Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose in Mindoro, Philippines
Apostolic Vicariate of Savannakhet, Laos
Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates & Yemen
Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shan-Si, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shan-Tung, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shen-Si, China
Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk, Philippines
Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Philippines
Apostolic Vicariate of Trichur, India
Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane, Laos
Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt
Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa, Ethiopia
Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi, Libya
Apostolic Vicariate of Bomadi, Nigeria
Apostolic Vicariate of the Congo
Apostolic Vicariate of Dahomey
Apostolic Vicariate of Derna, Libya
Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, Ghana
Apostolic Vicariate of French Congo, or Lower Congo
Apostolic Vicariate of Francistown, Botswana
Apostolic Vicariate of Harar, Ethiopia
Apostolic Vicariate of Hosanna, Ethiopia
Apostolic Vicariate of Ingwavuma, South Africa
Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo, Kenya
Apostolic Vicariate of Kamerun, Cameroon
Apostolic Vicariate of Kenia, Kenya
Apostolic Vicariate of Kimberley in Orange, South Africa
Apostolic Vicariate of Kontagora, Nigeria
Apostolic Vicariate of Makokou in Gabon
Apostolic Vicariate of Meki, Ethiopia
Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo, Chad
Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte, Ethiopia
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Victoria Nyanza
Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues, Mauritius
Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu, Namibia
Apostolic Vicariate of Sahara
Apostolic Vicariate of Senegambia
Apostolic Vicariate of Shire
Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo, Ethiopia
Apostolic Vicariate of Sudan or Central-Africa
Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli, Libya
Apostolic Vicariate of Unyanyembe
Apostolic Vicariate of Alexishafen
Apostolic Vicariate of Central Oceania
Apostolic Vicariate of Fiji
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
