In theCatholic Church, anapostolic visitor (orApostolic Visitator; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is apapal representative with a transient mission to perform acanonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is deputed to investigate a special circumstance in adiocese or country, and to submit a report to theHoly See at the conclusion of the investigation.
Apostolic visitors are church officials whom canonists commonly class withpapal legates. Visitors differ from otherApostolic delegates, principally in this, that their mission is only transient and of comparatively short duration.
In ancient times, the popes generally exercised their right of inspecting the dioceses of various countries through theirnuncios or delegates (c. 1, Extravag. Comm. de Consuet. I, 1; c. 17, X, de Cens. III, 39), though they occasionally, even in the primitive ages, sent special visitors.
In the modern time, the mission ofpapal nuncios is rather of a diplomatic than of a visitatorial character. Visitors are, however, deputed by the pope for special emergencies and not at stated intervals. Their duty is to inspect the state of the Church in the country confided to them and then to draw up a report to the Holy See. At times, this visitation is made with the same attention to details as is an episcopal visitation.
Visitors Apostolic are also appointed to visit the various provinces of a religious order, whenever, in the judgment of the pope, this becomes useful or necessary. In all cases of Apostolic visitation, the pope, through delegates, is putting into effect the supreme and immediate jurisdiction which is his for any and every part of the Church. The exact powers of a visitor can be known only from his brief of delegation. His office ceases as soon as he has submitted his report to the Holy See through theConsistorial Congregation.
For the city ofRome itself there is apermanent Commission of the Apostolic Visitation. Established byUrban VIII as one of theRoman congregations under the presidency of thecardinal vicar, it was changed into a commission byPope Pius X through the Constitution "Sapienti Consilio" (29 June 1908). These Apostolic visitors annually inspect the parishes and institutions of Rome and report on their spiritual and financial condition. They pay special attention to the fulfilment of the obligations springing from pious foundations and legacies for Masses and chaplaincies.
InEastern Catholic (non-Latin) churches, the office of apostolic visitor can be indefinite and the closest thing to an ordinary for communities in regions which have not (yet) been organized into any ordinary jurisdiction. Although there is a history of apostolic visitors in theBelarusian Greek Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic apostolic visitors are generally found in the major Eastern Catholic churches.
Apostolic Visitors in the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church
Because theBelarusian Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite) remains unorganized in terms of structural polity, with no proper jurisdictions of its own erected, since 1960 the Pope has entrusted the pastoral care of Belarusian Greek Catholics to a series of Apostolic Visitors. These apostolic visitors have thus served as the only hierarchs of the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church during this time period.
BishopCeslaus Sipovich served as Apostolic Visitor for the Belarusian Greek-Catholic faithful abroad (outside of Belarus) from 1960 until his death in 1981.
BishopUladzimir Tarasevich served as Apostolic Visitor for the Belarusian Greek-Catholic faithful abroad from 1983 until his death in 1986.
FatherAlexander Nadson served as Apostolic Visitor for the Belarusian Greek-Catholic faithful abroad from 1986 until his death in 2015.
FatherSergiusz Gajek has served as Apostolic Visitor for the Belarusian Greek-Catholic faithful in Belarus since 1994.[1]
Apostolic Visitors in the Major Eastern Catholic Churches
In recent years, nearly all of the Patriarchal and Major Archiepiscopal Eastern Catholic churches (except theCoptic) have made use of apostolic visitors, mostly in Europe and the Americas. This has sometimes served as a prelude to the creation of anapostolic exarchate or aneparchy. The apostolic visitors are almost always bishops, but only a few of them have a full-time mandate as apostolic visitors. Most of them perform their visitation in addition to some other more primary ecclesiastical role, whether as a residential bishop, an auxiliary bishop, a curial bishop, or their particular church's procurator at Rome.
ArchbishopBasile Georges Casmoussa (Bishop of the Curia, 2011–present), Apostolic Visitor in Western Europe, 13 January 2014 – 21 June 2017; Apostolic Visitor in Australia, 21 June 2017 –present[9]
FatherRami Al-Kabalan, Apostolic Visitor in Western Europe, 21 June 2017 –present[10]
BishopFrancois Eid (Procurator at Rome, 2012–2019), Apostolic Visitor in Bulgaria and Romaniaand Apostolic Visitor in Greece, 13 April 2015 – 11 October 2018
BishopMichel Aoun (Eparch of Byblos, 2012–present), Apostolic Visitor in Bulgaria and Romania, 11 October 2018 –present
BishopNasser Gemayel (Eparch of Paris, 2012–present), Apostolic Visitor in Western and Northern Europe, 21 July 2012 –present
BishopSimon Faddoul (Apostolic Exarch of Western and Central Africa, 2014–2018;Eparch of the Annunciation, 2018–present), Apostolic Visitor in Southern Africa, 13 January 2014 –present
BishopGratian Mundadan (Eparch of Bijnor, 1977–2009), Apostolic Visitor in India outside the proper territory, 15 July 2006 – 11 January 2014[15]
BishopRaphael Thattil (Auxiliary Bishop ofThrissur, 2010–2017), Apostolic Visitor in India outside the proper territory, 11 January 2014 – 10 October 2017[note 4][16]
TheSyro-Malankara Catholic Church has had a number of apostolic visitors over the last few decades, three of whom served as apostolic visitors for two different regions simultaneously. Partly due to the canonical erection of several new eparchies and apostolic exarchates, however, there are currently no Syro-Malankara apostolic visitors at present:
BishopIsaac Mar Cleemis (Auxiliary Bishop ofTrivandrum, 2001–2003), Apostolic Visitor in North Americaand Apostolic Visitor in Europe, 18 June 2001 – 11 September 2003[note 5][17]
BishopJoseph Mar Thomas (Auxiliary Bishop ofTrivandrum, 2005–2010), Apostolic Visitor in North Americaand Apostolic Visitor in Europe, 5 January 2005 – 25 January 2010[18]
TheUkrainian Greek Catholic Church had several apostolic visitors in Western Europe after the end of World War II and currently has three apostolic visitors:
ArchbishopIvan Buchko, Apostolic Visitor in Western Europe, 28 July 1945 – 29 September 1971
BishopMyroslav Marusyn, Apostolic Visitor in Western Europe, 27 June 1974 – 14 September 1982[22]
BishopHlib Lonchyna (Procurator at Rome, 2003–2006;Eparch of London, 2009–present),[note 8] Apostolic Visitor in Italy, 14 January 2003 – 7 January 2009; Apostolic Visitor in Spain, 4 March 2004 – 7 January 2009; Apostolic Visitor in Ireland, 4 March 2004 –present[23][24]
BishopDionisio Lachovicz, Apostolic Visitor in Italy and Spain, 19 January 2009 –present[25]
^TheSyro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Shamshabad was established on October 10, 2017, with Bishop Thattil as its first apostolic exarch. The establishment of this eparchy, along with that ofHosur on the same day, marked the conclusion of the Syro-Malabar apostolic visitation in India, with the entire territory of India finally covered by Syro-Malabar ordinaries.
^Isaac Mar Cleemis was appointedBishop of Tiruvalla on September 11, 2003, and later became the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla before being elected Major Archbishop of Trivandrum in 2007, at which point he took the name Baselios Cleemis.
^The Syro-Malankara Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of the United States was established on July 14, 2010, the same day that Thomas Mar Eusebius was appointed to be its first bishop. He was also simultaneously appointed Apostolic Visitor in Canada. On January 4, 2016, the apostolic exarchate was promoted as the Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of the United States and Canada, with its jurisdiction now extended to also include Canada.
^On March 26, 2015, all of the territory previously under the care of Jacob Mar Barnabas as Apostolic Visitor in India outside the proper territory was organized into theEparchy of Gurgaon and theApostolic Exarchate of Khadki. Jacob Mar Barnabas was appointed the first Bishop of Gurgaon, andThomas Mar Anthonios the first Apostolic Exarch of Khadki.
^Lonchyna was originally appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Apostolic Exarchate of Great Britain on June 2, 2009, and was subsequently named Apostolic Exarch on June 14, 2011. He later became the first bishop of the Eparchy of the Holy Family of London when the Apostolic Exarchate was promoted on January 18, 2013.
^Kozelinski Netto was originally appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of Buenos Aires on June 22, 2011, and was subsequently named Eparch on October 8, 2016.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Visitors Apostolic".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.[1]