Apostolic administration

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 (lacking such successor) 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 (arch)bishop is designated to be apostolic administrator until his successor is designated and takes office; sometimes the metropolitan or a fellow suffragan is appointed.

In March 2021, there were the following stable apostolic administrations, most administered by a (titular or external) bishop.[1]

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[2][3]
• Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus, immediately subject to the Holy See, established in 1991 for two predominantly Orthodox former Soviet Republics: Georgia (the cathedral is in its capital Tbilisi) 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 Harbin in the People's Republic of China, immediately subject to Rome, established in 1935, with a cathedral and a bishop without papal mandate since 2012, recognized from the Holy See in 2018
• Apostolic Administration of Kinmen-Matsu, immediately subject to the Holy See, established in 1968 for Fuchien Province (Kinmen and Matsu Islands) of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
• 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.

Some apostolic administrations have jurisdiction not only over Latin Rite Catholics, but also over Catholics of other rites, not having their own jurisdictions there:

• 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;[4] since 2005, it is suffragan of the Metropolitan of Tirana–Durrës.[5]

Also some apostolic administrations have jurisdiction only over Catholics of the Byzantine Rite, that not having their own jurisdictions there:

• Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan and Central Asia for Faithful of Byzantine Rite, with a see in Karaganda, for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

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.[6][7][8]

It is fairly typical that the pope appoints an apostolic administrator to a diocese which lacks an ordinary (bishop), thus replacing the diocesan or archdiocesan administrator. Usually, the emeritus bishop will be appointed in such a case. Recently (and in exception to the latter), the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh had Philip Tartaglia under this procedure.

For example, Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, was appointed as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 8 December 2019 and ended his tenure as the archdiocese's archbishop when he took office in 9 February 2020. Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo, then-Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, was then appointed as apostolic administrator until Cardinal Jose Advincula became Tagle's successor as archbishop in 24 June 2021.

Ruperto Cruz Santos, Bishop of Balanga in Bataan for 13 years and 14 days who succeeded Socrates Villegas on 8 July 2010 as the latter became Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan on 4 November 2009, was appointed as Bishop of Antipolo on 24 May 2023 and ended his tenure as the diocese's bishop when he assumed the position on 22 July 2023. Florentino Galang Lavarias, Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga, was then appointed as the apostolic administrator while awaiting for the installation of Santos' successor as Bishop of Balanga.

Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, the Bishop of Hong Kong, died on 3 January 2019. Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop Emeritus, was appointed as apostolic administrator.

There is also the ability for the pope to appoint an apostolic administrator sede plena. Anthony Sablan Apuron, the Archbishop of Agaña, was under investigation for sexual abuse in June 2016; Pope Francis appointed Savio Hon Tai-fai as apostolic administrator sede plena, as temporary replacement. On 31 October 2016, Michael J. Byrnes, then Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Agaña with full administrative authority, and later succeeded as archbishop.

• List of Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)
• List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)
• List of Catholic archdioceses
• List of Military Ordinariates and/or Catholic military (arch)bishoprics
• List of Catholic apostolic vicariates
• List of Eastern Catholic (Apostolic, Patriarchal and other) Exarchates
• List of Apostolic Prefectures
• List of Territorial Prelatures
• List of Catholic Missions sui juris
• Reorganization of occupied dioceses during World War II

• GCatholic