A 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.
Until 1986, they were called "military vicariates" and had a status similar to that apostolic vicariates, which are headed by a bishop who receives his authority by delegation from the Pope. The apostolic constitution Spirituali militum curae of 21 April 1986 raised their status, declaring that the bishop who heads one of them is an "ordinary", holding authority by virtue of his office, and not by delegation from another person in authority.[1] It likened the military vicariates to dioceses.[2] Each of them is headed by a bishop, who may have the personal rank of archbishop. If the bishop is a diocesan rather than a titular bishop, he is likely to delegate the daily functions to an auxiliary bishop or a lower cleric.
Some nations have military ordinariates of the Anglican Communion, Lutheranism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
The personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church announced on 20 October 2009 are similar in some ways to the existing military ordinariates.[3] But the jurisdiction of military ordinariates is cumulative to that of the diocesan bishops.[4]
Contents |
List of Catholic military ordinariates (April 2006)
Africa
- Kenya: Military Ordinariate of Kenya (since 1964)
- South Africa: Military Ordinariate of South Africa (since 1951; exempt) vested in the Archbishop of Pretoria
- Uganda: Military Ordinariate of Uganda (since 1964) vested in a Metropolitan
Americas
- Argentina: Military Ordinariate of Argentina 'Army bishopric' (since 1957)
- Bolivia: Obispado Castrense de Bolivia 'Army bishopric' (since 1961)
- Brazil: Ordinariado Militar do Brasil (since 1950)
- Canada: Military Ordinariate of Canada (since 1951)
- Chile: Obispado Castrense de Chile 'Army bishopric' (since 1910)
- Colombia: Obispado Castrense de Colombia 'Army bishopric' (since 1949)
- Dominican Republic (since 1958)
- Ecuador: Obispado Castrense del Ecuador (since 1983)
- El Salvador: Obispado Castrense en El Salvador
- Paraguay: Obispado Castrense del Paraguay (since 1961)
- Peru: Obispado Castrense del Perú (since 1943)
- United States: Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, with three Auxiliary Bishops (since 1917; headed by an Archbishop since 1985)
- Venezuela: Ordinariato Militar de Venezuela 'Military Ordinariate of Venezuela' (since 1995)
Europe
- Austria: Latin rite Katholische Militärseelsorge 'Catholic Military Pastoral' since 1959
- Belgium: Latin Evêché des forces armées/Bisdom bij de Krijgsmacht 'bishopric with the armed forces' (since 1957; vested in the Archbishop of Mechelen and Primate of Belgium)
- Croatia: Latin Vojni ordinarijat u Republici Hrvatskoj (since 1997)
- France: Latin Diocèse aux Armées Françaises 'Diocese of the French Armies' (since 1952)
- Germany: Latin Katholisches Militärbischofsamt 'Catholic Military Bishopric' (since 1933)
- Hungary : Latin Tábori Püspökség (exemp bishop; since 1994)
- Italy: Latin Archbishop Military Ordinariate of Italy (since 1925), no auxiliary bishop
- Lithuania : Latin (since 2000)
- Netherlands : Latin Apostolic administrator, exempt (since 1957)
- Poland : Latin Ordynariat Polowy Wojska Polskiego (since 1991)
- Portugal : Latin Ordinariato Castrense de Portugal 'Army bishopric' (since 1966)
- Romania: Military Ordinariate of Romania
- Slovakia : Latin Vojenský ordinariát (since 2003)
- Spain: Latin Arzobispado Castrense de España (since 1950)
- United Kingdom: Latin Bishopric of the Forces (since 1953)
Asia & Pacific
- Australia: Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force (since 1969)
- Indonesia : Military Ordinariate of Indonesia (since 1949)
- New Zealand (since 1976) vested in the Metropolitan of Wellington
- Philippines: Military Ordinariate of the Philippines (since 1950)
- South Korea: Military Ordinariate of Korea (since 1983)
See also
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view)
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic administrations
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic vicariates
- List of Eastern Catholic exarchates
- List of Roman Catholic apostolic prefectures
- List of Roman Catholic territorial prelatures
- List of Roman Catholic missions sui juris
References
- ^ Code of Canon Law, canon 134 §1
- ^ Spirituali militum curae, I §1
- ^ Note of the CDF about personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church
- ^ Spirituali militum curae, IV
External links
- Military Ordinariates in the world by Giga-Catholic Information
- Catholic Hierarchy.org
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