Ordinariate for Eastern Catholic faithful

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An ordinariate for the faithful of Eastern rite is a geographical ecclesiastical structure for Eastern Catholic communities in areas where no eparchy of their own particular Church has been established. This structure was introduced by the apostolic letter Officium supremi Apostolatus of 15 July 1912.[1]

In the Annuario Pontificio the eight existing ordinariates of this kind are listed together with the fifteen (pre-diocesan) apostolic exarchates. Of these ordinariates, four (in Argentina, Brazil, France and Poland) are generically for all Eastern Catholics who lack a 'proper' diocesan jurisdiction of their own rite in the particular country and who are therefore entrusted to the care of a Latin Archbishop in the country. The one in Austria is for Catholics belonging to any of the fourteen particular Churches that use the Byzantine Rite. The other three (Ex-Soviet 'Eastern Europe', Greece and Romania) are exclusively for members of the Armenian Catholic Church.

Existing ordinariates[edit]

Ordinariate Geographical area Jurisdiction Cathedral see Ordinary Date(s) of founding
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in Argentina Argentina All Eastern Catholics now Buenos Aires Metropolitan Archbishop of Buenos Aires 1959-02-19
Ordinariate for Catholics of Byzantine Rite in Austria Austria Byzantine Rite Catholics Vienna vested in the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna 1945-10-03 and 1956-06-13
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in Brazil Brazil All Eastern Catholics presently Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Archbishop of Belo Horizonte 1951-11-14
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe only Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Poland and Ukraine Armenian Rite Catholics Gyumri (Armenia) Armenian bishop of a titular see 1991-07-13
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in France France All Eastern Catholics Paris vested in the Metropolitan Archbishop of Paris 1954-06-16
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Greece Greece Armenian Rite Catholics Athens vacant (under an apostolic administrator) 1925-12-21
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Romania Romania Armenian Rite Catholics Gherla vacant (under an apostolic administrator) 1930-06-05
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in Spain Spain All Eastern Catholics none yet Metropolitan Archbishop of Madrid 2016-06-09

Former ordinariates[edit]

See also[edit]


References[edit]

  1. ^ Annuario Pontificio 2012 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2008 ISBN 978-88-209-8722-0), p. 1811

External links[edit]