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

OrdinariateGeographical areaJurisdictionCathedral seeOrdinaryDate(s) of founding
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in ArgentinaArgentinaAll Eastern Catholicsnow Buenos AiresMetropolitan Archbishop of Buenos Aires1959-02-19
Ordinariate for Catholics of Byzantine Rite in AustriaAustriaByzantine Rite CatholicsViennavested in the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna1945-10-03 and 1956-06-13
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in BrazilBrazilAll Eastern Catholicspresently Belo HorizonteMetropolitan Archbishop of Belo Horizonte1951-11-14
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europeonly Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Poland and UkraineArmenian Rite CatholicsGyumri (Armenia)Armenian bishop of a titular see1991-07-13
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in FranceFranceAll Eastern CatholicsParisvested in the Metropolitan Archbishop of Paris1954-06-16
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in GreeceGreeceArmenian Rite CatholicsAthensvacant (under an apostolic administrator)1925-12-21
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in RomaniaRomaniaArmenian Rite CatholicsGherlavacant (under an apostolic administrator)1930-06-05
Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in SpainSpainAll Eastern Catholicsnone yetMetropolitan Archbishop of Madrid2016-06-09

Former ordinariates

See also


References

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