Apostolic Administrator

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An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration. An apostolic administration can either be an area that is not yet a diocese (a stable apostolic administration) or for a diocese that either has no bishop (an apostolic administrator sede vacante) or, in very rare cases, has an incapacitated bishop (apostolic administrator sede plena).

1 Characteristics
2 Present cases
3 See also
4 Sources and references

[edit] 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 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 bishop is designated to be apostolic administrator until his successor takes office.

[edit] Present cases

In April 2006, there were the following stable apostolic administrations, each administered by a bishop unless otherwise mentioned. Most of these are of the Roman rite, with the following exception:

Southern Albania (established in 1939; suffragan of Tiranë–Durrës), of the Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church

All others are of the Roman rite; most are in current or former communist countries.

Atyrau in Kazakhstan, suffragan of the Metropolitan of Astana; administered by a Monsignor who is not a bishop
Caucasus, immediately subject to the Holy See, established in 1991 for two former Soviet Republics: Georgia (the cathedral is in its capital Tbilisi) and Armenia
Estonia, one of the Baltic Countries, established in 1924, with its cathedral in the capital Tallinn
Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, immediately subject, founded in 1997 as a mission sui juris and promoted in 2006
Prizren, a former diocese in Serbia and Montenegro (in 1969 absorbed by Skopje in present Macedonia), restored in 2005, immediately subject, vacant
Uzbekistan, former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, immediately subject, founded in 1997 as a mission sui juris and promoted in 2005
Harbin in the People's Republic of China, immediately subject, established in 1935, with a cathedral, vacant since 1946
Comoros (established in 1975; still includes Mayotte, which split off politically by remaining under French administration), immediately subject, administrated by a priest, the only territorial stable apostolic administration not in a current or former communist country.

In addition, the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney is a non-territorial jurisdiction, similar to a personal prelature. It is a separate particular church for traditionalist Catholics within the Brazilian Diocese of Campos, and suffragan of Niterói. The personal apostolic administration was formed by Pope John Paul II to administer to a group of traditionalist Catholic priests who reconciled with Rome on 18 January 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.