Military ordinariate
Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction providing religious services for armed forces
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, 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 of 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,[1] 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.[2] It likened the military vicariates to dioceses.[1]: I §1 Each of them is headed by a bishop, who may have the personal rank of archbishop. If the bishop is a diocesan, 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.[3]
The personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church announced on 20 October 2009 are similar in some ways to the existing military ordinariates.[4] But the jurisdiction of military ordinariates is cumulative to that of the diocesan bishops.[5]
List of Catholic military ordinariates
| Country | Military Ordinariate | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | |||
 Kenya | Military Ordinariate of Kenya | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 20 January 1964; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 South Africa | Military Ordinariate of the South African Defence Force | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 17 May 1951; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986; it is vested in the Archbishop of Pretoria | |
 Uganda | Military Ordinariate of Uganda | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 20 January 1964; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986; vested in a Metropolitan | |
| Americas | |||
 Argentina | Military Ordinariate of Argentina | created military vicariate 8 July 1957; first military vicar appointment in 1957; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Bolivia | Military Ordinariate of Bolivia | created military vicariate 19 March 1961; first appointment military vicar 26 July 1961; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Brazil | Military Ordinariate of Brazil | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 6 November 1950; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Canada | Military Ordinariate of Canada | first military bishop appointment 20 September 1939; created military vicariate 17 February 1951; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Chile | Military Ordinariate of Chile | created military vicariate 3 May 1910; first military vicar appointment 27 May 1910; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Colombia | Military Ordinariate of Colombia | created military vicariate 13 October 1949; first military vicar appointment 14 July 1950; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Dominican Republic | Military Ordinariate of Dominican Republic | created military vicariate 23 January 1958; first military vicar appointment 1958; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Ecuador | Military Ordinariate of Ecuador | created military vicariate 30 March 1983; first military vicar appointment 5 August 1983; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 El Salvador | Military Ordinariate of El Salvador | created military vicariate 25 March 1968; first military vicar appointment 4 November 1968; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Paraguay | Military Ordinariate of Paraguay | created military vicariate 20 December 1961; first military vicar appointment 7 December 1965; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Peru | Military Ordinariate of Peru | created military vicariate 15 May 1943; first military vicar appointment 13 January 1945; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 United States | Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA | first military bishop appointment 24 November 1917; created military vicariate in November 1939; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986; headed by an archbishop with three auxiliary bishops | |
 Venezuela | Military Ordinariate of Venezuela | created military ordinariate 31 October 1995; first military ordinary appointment 11 February 1996 | |
| Asia | |||
 Indonesia | Military Ordinariate of Indonesia | created military vicariate 25 December 1949; first military vicar appointment 1949; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Philippines | Military Ordinariate of the Philippines | created military vicariate 8 December 1950; first military vicar appointment 10 December 1951; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 South Korea | Military Ordinariate of South Korea | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 22 November 1983; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
| Europe | |||
 Austria | Military Ordinariate of Austria | first military bishop appointment in 1773; created military vicariate 21 February 1959; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Military Ordinariate of Bosnia and Herzegovina | created military ordinariate 1 February 2011 | |
 Belgium | Military Ordinariate of Belgium | created military vicariate 7 September 1957; first military vicar appointment in 1957; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986; vested in the Archbishop of Mechelen and Primate of Belgium | |
 Croatia | Military Ordinariate of Croatia | created military ordinariate and first military ordinary appointment 25 April 1997 | |
 France | Diocese of the French Armed Forces | first military bishop appointment in 1949; created military vicariate 26 July 1952; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Germany | Military Ordinariate of Germany | first military bishop appointment 22 May 1868; created military vicariate 20 July 1933; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Hungary | Military Ordinariate of Hungary | first military bishop appointment 23 March 1920; in abeyance from 1947 to 1994; created a military ordinariate 18 April 1994 | |
 Italy | Military Ordinariate in Italy | created military vicariate 6 March 1925; first military vicar appointment 23 April 1929; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Lithuania | Military Ordinariate of Lithuania | created military ordinariate and first military vicar appointment 25 November 2000 | |
 Netherlands | Military Ordinariate of the Netherlands | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 16 April 1957; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Poland | Military Ordinariate of Poland | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 5 February 1919; suspended from 1947 to 1991; elevated to a military ordinariate 1991 | |
 Portugal | Military Ordinariate of Portugal | created military vicariate 29 May 1966; first military vicar appointment 1966; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 Slovakia | Military Ordinariate of Slovakia | created military ordinariate and first military vicar appointment 20 January 2003 | |
 Slovenia | Military Vicariate of Slovenia | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 21 September 2000 | |
 Spain | Military Archbishopric of Spain | created military vicariate in early 1700s (Carlos de Borja y Centellas first appointment); vacant from 1930 to 1950; re-established military vicariate 5 August 1950; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986; headed by an archbishop | |
 United Kingdom | Bishopric of the Forces in Great Britain | first military bishop appointment 30 October 1917; created military vicariate 21 November 1953; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
| Oceania | |||
 Australia | Catholic Diocese of the Australian Military Services | first military bishop appointment in 1912; created military vicariate 6 March 1969; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986 | |
 New Zealand | Military Ordinariate of New Zealand | created military vicariate and first military vicar appointment 28 October 1976; elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986; currently vested in the Metropolitan of Wellington | |
