Apostolic administration
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, or is a diocese, eparchy or similar permanent ordinariate that either has no bishop or, in very rare cases, has an incapacitated bishop.
Characteristics
Apostolic administrators of stable administrations are equivalent in canon law with diocesan bishops, meaning they have essentially the same authority as a diocesan bishop. This type of apostolic administrator is usually the bishop of a titular see.Administrators sede vacante or sede plena only serve in their role until a newly chosen diocesan bishop takes possession of the diocese. They are restricted by canon law in what they can do to the diocese they temporarily administer. For example, such an administrator may not sell real estate owned by the diocese. This type of administrator is commonly an auxiliary bishop of the diocese, a priest serving as the vicar general of the diocese, or the ordinary of a neighboring diocese.
Normally when a diocese falls vacant, either the previously appointed Coadjutor bishop takes possession of the see or a vicar capitular/diocesan administrator is chosen locally, but the Pope, having full governmental power, can preempt this choice and name an apostolic administrator instead. Sometimes a retiring, promoted or transferred bishop is designated to be apostolic administrator until his successor is designated and takes office, sometimes the Metropolitan or a fellow suffragan is appointed.
Apostolic administrations
In May 2015, there were the following stable apostolic administrations, most administered by a bishop.Most are of the Roman rite; most are in former or current communist countries.
- Apostolic Administration of Atyrau, in Kazakhstan, suffragan of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Astana
- Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus, immediately subject to the Holy See, established in 1991 for two predominantly Orthodox former Soviet Republics: Georgia and Armenia
- Apostolic Administration of Estonia, one of the Baltic Countries; immediately subject to Rome, established in 1924, with its cathedral in the capital Tallinn
- Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Islamic former Soviet Republic in Central Asia; immediately subject to Rome, founded in 1997 as a mission sui juris and promoted in 2006
- Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan, predominantly Islamic former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, immediately subject to Rome, founded in 1997 as a mission sui juris and promoted in 2005
- Apostolic Administration of Harbin in the People's Republic of China, immediately subject to Rome, established in 1935, with a cathedral, with two incumbents, a bishop without papal mandate since 2012 and a papal nominee since 2011.
- Kinma, established in 1968, led by the Archbishop of Taipei.
- Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania, with pro-cathedral see at Vlorë, established in 1939 for all Catholics in southern regions of Albania, both of Latin and Byzantine rites; since 2005, it is suffragan of the Metropolitan of Tirana–Durrës.
- Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan and Central Asia for Faithful of Byzantine Rite, with a see in Karaganda, for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Diocese of Pyongyang
Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney
In addition, the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney is a non-territorial jurisdiction, similar to a personal prelature, which is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. It is a separate particular church for traditionalist Catholics within the Brazilian Diocese of Campos, a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Niterói.The personal apostolic administration was formed by Pope John Paul II to administer to a group of traditionalist Catholic priests, using the Tridentine Mass, who reconciled with Rome on January 18, 2002. The group had been formed by bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer and had been associated with the Society of St. Pius X of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Temporary administration of vacant sees
It has become not unusual that the Pope appoints an Apostolic Administrator to a diocese which is sede vacante, thus replacing the diocesan administrator. Usually, the emeritus bishop will be appointed in such a case. Recently, the archdiocese St. Andrews and Edinburgh had Philip Tartaglia under this procedure.For example, Luis Antonio Tagle was appointed as Prefect of Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in 9 December 2019, and he took office in February 2020. Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo, the current Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, was appointed as Apostolic Administrator.
Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, the Bishop of Hong Kong died in 3 January 2019. Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop Emeritus, was appointed as Apostolic Administrator.
There is also exception that the Pope can appoint apostolic administrator sede plena, replacing the current bishop in exercise, Anthony Sablan Apuron, the Archbishop of Agana was under investigation of sexual abuse in June 2016. Pope Francis appointed Savio Hon Tai-fai as apostolic administrator sede plena, as temporary replacement. In 31 October 2016, Michael J. Byrnes, then Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Agana with full administrative authority, and later succeeded as Archbishop.
Former Apostolic administrations
Latin in Europe
- Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín
- Apostolic Administration of Eastern Siberia
- Apostolic Administration of Eupen–Malmedy–Sankt Vith
- Apostolic Administration of European Russia
- Apostolic Administration of Görlitz
- Apostolic Administration of Haarlem
- Apostolic Administration of Lubaczów
- Apostolic Administration of Moldova
- Apostolic Administration of Northern European Russia
- Apostolic Administration of Novosibirsk
- Apostolic Administration of Prizren, a former diocese in Kosovo , restored in 2000, elevated in 2018 as diocese, immediately subject to Rome
- Apostolic administration of Schwerin
- Apostolic Administration of Southern European Russia
- Apostolic Administration of Trnava
- Apostolic Administration of Tütz
- Apostolic Administration of Upper Silesia
- Apostolic Administration of Western Siberia
- Apostolic Administration of West Vlaanderen
- Apostolic Administration of Yugoslav Bačka
- Apostolic Administration of Yugoslav Banat
Eastern Catholic in Europe
- Apostolic Administration of Lemkowszczyzna
- Ruthenian Catholic Apostolic Administration of Bosnia-Hercegovina
- Ruthenian Catholic Apostolic Administration of Targul-Siret
Latin Overseas
- Apostolic Administration of Almaty
- Apostolic Administration of Astana
- Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan
- ''Apostolic Administration of Latakia
- Apostolic Administration of Okinawa and the Southern Islands, alias Ryukyus
- Apostolic Administration of Copiapó
- Apostolic Administration of El Petén
- Apostolic Administration of Izabal
- Apostolic Administration of Rio Branco