Mission sui iuris
Encyclopedia
A mission sui iuris, or in Latin missio sui iuris, also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman
Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction in an area with very few Catholics, often desolate or remote.
The clerical head is styled Ecclesiastical Superior; he can be a regular cleric, bishop, archbishop or even a cardinal
, but if of high rank often resides elsewhere (notably, in another diocese or the Vatican) in chief of his primary office.
In Asia:
In the Atlantic Ocean:
In the Caribbean:
In Oceania:
Those for which no province is named are exempt
, i.e directly under Rome.
Roman Catholic (term)
The term Roman Catholic appeared in the English language at the beginning of the 17th century, to differentiate specific groups of Christians in communion with the Pope from others; comparable terms in other languages already existed...
Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction in an area with very few Catholics, often desolate or remote.
The clerical head is styled Ecclesiastical Superior; he can be a regular cleric, bishop, archbishop or even a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, but if of high rank often resides elsewhere (notably, in another diocese or the Vatican) in chief of his primary office.
Present mission(e)s sui iuris
In April 2006, the only cases — all of the Latin rite — were:In Asia:
- AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
- BakuBakuBaku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
(capital of independent AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
) - TajikistanTajikistanTajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
- TurkmenistanTurkmenistanTurkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
In the Atlantic Ocean:
- Saint HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, Ascension IslandAscension IslandAscension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
and Tristan da CunhaTristan da CunhaTristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
In the Caribbean:
- Cayman IslandsRoman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Cayman IslandsThe Roman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Cayman Islands is a mission sui iuris of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The mission comprises the entirety of the British dependency of the Cayman Islands...
, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of KingstonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston in JamaicaThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The Archdiocese encompasses the larger portion of the island of Jamaica, and the capital of Kingston...
(in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
) - Turks and CaicosRoman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Turks and CaicosThe Roman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Turks and Caicos is a mission sui iuris of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The mission encompasses the entirety of the British dependency of Turks and Caicos...
, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of NassauRoman Catholic Archdiocese of NassauThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese encompasses the islands of the former British dependency of the Bahamas...
(in the Bahamas)
In Oceania:
- FunafutiFunafutiFunafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
, in TuvaluTuvaluTuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Apia (on SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
) - TokelauTokelauTokelau is a territory of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean that consists of three tropical coral atolls with a combined land area of 10 km2 and a population of approximately 1,400...
, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Apia
Those for which no province is named are exempt
Exemption (church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, exemption is the whole or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank....
, i.e directly under Rome.
See also
- Roman Catholicism in AfghanistanRoman Catholicism in AfghanistanThe Roman Catholic Church in Afghanistan is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are very few Catholics in this overwhelmingly Muslim country — just over 200 attend mass in its only chapel — and freedom of religion has been...
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view)
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses
- List of Roman Catholic military diocesesMilitary ordinariateA military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church, of Latin or Eastern Rite, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation....
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic administrationsApostolic AdministratorAn apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic vicariatesApostolic vicariateAn apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
- List of Eastern Catholic exarchates
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic prefecturesApostolic prefectAn apostolic prefect is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese....
- List of Roman Catholic territorial prelaturesTerritorial PrelateA territorial prelate is, in Catholic usage, a prelate whose geographic jurisdiction, called territorial prelature, does not belong to any diocese and is considered a particular church....
External links
- List of Missions sui iuris by Giga-Catholic Information