Apostolic Vicariate of Thessaloniki


The Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Thessaloniki is an Apostolic Vicariate of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in northern continental Greece.
It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province, and remains vacant under 'temporary' Apostolic administrators since its only proper Apostolic Vicar, Alessandro Guidati, was promoted Archbishop of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos in 1929.
Its episcopal see is the Latin Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Thessaloniki.

History

The Vicariate was established in 1926 as Apostolic Vicariate of Thessalonica on canonical territory split off from the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Constantinople, comprising the Greek prefectures of Thessaloniki, Kavala, Xanthi, Volos, Larisa and Giannitsa. Since then, the Vicariate covers the entire territory of northern Greece, including regions of Greek Macedonia, Greek Thrace and Thessaly.
Renamed, like its see, in 1992 as Apostolic Vicariate of Thessaloniki.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 7,376 Catholics on 57,550 km² in 4 parishes and 4 missions with 10 priests and 16 lay religious.

Episcopal ordinaries

;Apostolic Vicars of Salonica
  1. Alessandro Guidati †, Titular Bishop of Adada ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos , Apostolic Administrator of Chios , emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Nicopolis in Epiro
;'' "Temporary" Apostolic administrators during the long see vacancy since 1929
  1. Giovanni Battista Filippucci, while Archbishop of Athens ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Naxos–Andros–Tinos–Mykonos and Apostolic Administrator of Chios
  2. Marco Sigala, while Archbishop of Athens ; previously Apostolic Administrator of Santorini
  3. Georges Xenopulos, Jesuits , also Apostolic Administrator of Crete ; previously Bishop of Santorini and Bishop of Syros
  4. Marius Macrionitis, S.J., also Archbishop of Athens
  5. Venedictos Printesis, while Archbishop of Athens , died 2008
  6. Father Dimítrios Roussos, S.J. 1969 – 1992), no other prelature
  7. Antónios Varthalítis, Assumptionists , while Metropolitan Archbishop of Corfu–Zakynthos–Kefalonia , died 2007
  8. Yannis Spiteris, Capuchin Franciscans , while Metropolitan Archbishop of Corfu–Zakynthos–Kefalonia .