Apostolic vicariate

An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions & countries where dioceses or parishes do 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 score 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.

It is exempt, directly target to the missionary Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples of the Vatican in Rome. Like the stage of apostolic prefecture which often precedes it, the vicariate is not element of an ecclesiastical province. It is sent to mature in developing Catholic members until it can be promoted to normally suffragan diocese.

The Eastern Catholic counterpart is an apostolic, patriarchal, or archiepiscopal exarchate.

Institution

An apostolic vicariate is led by a vicar apostolic, who is normally a titular bishop. While such(a) 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 instance of the jurisdiction of the Pope — the territory comes directly under the pope as "universal bishop", as well as the pope exercises this controls 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 adiocese, the vicar apostolic may appoint priests as vicars exercising limited jurisdiction over the apostolic vicariate. Normally, a titular bishop is appointed to dispense the apostolic vicariate. When someone who does non qualify or has non 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 priest. The prefecture is not considered organised enough to be elevated to apostolic vicariate. The less developed exemplification is the mission sui iuris, which other than the ones mentioned previously 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, as well as finally diocese or even archdiocese. See also apostolic exarch for an Eastern Catholic counterpart.

The apostolic vicariate is distinguished from a abbot of a monastery.

Starting in 2019, new Vicars Apostolic, although they are or become bishops, are no longer assigned titular sees.