Anapostolic administration in theCatholic Church is administrated by aprelate appointed by thepope to serve as theordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet adiocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic administration), or is adiocese,archdiocese,eparchy or similar permanent ordinariate (such as aterritorial prelature or aterritorial abbacy) that has nobishop orarchbishop (an apostolic administratorsede vacante, as after an episcopal death, resignation or transfer to another territory) or, in very rare cases, has an incapacitated head (apostolic administratorsede plena). The title also applies to an outgoing incumbent while awaiting for the date of assuming his new position or date of effectivity of a retirement.
Apostolic administrators of stable administrations are equivalent incanon law withdiocesan bishops andarchbishops and so they have essentially the same authority as a diocesan bishop and archbishop. This type of apostolic administrator is usually the bishop or archbishop of atitular see.
Administratorssede vacante orsede plena serve in their role only until a newly-chosen diocesan bishop or archbishop takes possession of the diocese. They are restricted by canon law in what they may do to the diocese that they temporarily administer. For example, such an administrator may not sellreal estate owned by the diocese or archdiocese. That type of administrator is commonly anauxiliary bishop and a priest serving as thevicar general of the diocese or theordinary of a neighboring diocese.
Normally, when a diocese or archdiocese falls vacant, the previously-appointedcoadjutor bishop takes possession of the see, or (a successor is not yetinstalled or assumed office) avicar capitular ordiocesan administrator is chosen locally. However, the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, may decide to name an administrator himself instead, of waiting for the college of consultors of a particular diocese or archdiocese to appoint a diocesan or archdiocesan administrator, and it is then called an apostolic administrator. Sometimes, a retiring, promoted or transferred bishop is designated to be apostolic administrator until his successor is installed, or the metropolitan or a fellow suffragan is appointed.
In March 2021, there were the following stable apostolic administrations, most of which were administered by a (titular or external) bishop, are of theRoman Rite and are in former or currentcommunist countries:[1]
The following apostolic administration has jurisdiction only over Catholics of the Byzantine Rite, which does not have its own jurisdiction in the countries concerned:
The following apostolic administration has jurisdiction over Catholics of the Latin Rite and those of otherrites, which do not have their own jurisdictions in the area concerned:
TheDiocese of Pyongyang,North Korea: its last bishop,Francis Hong Yong-ho, wasimprisoned by thecommunist government ofKim Il Sung in 1949 and laterdisappeared. The MetropolitanArchbishop of Seoul, inSouth Korea, acts as the apostolic administrator forPyongyang, as religion is suppressed in North Korea.
TheDiocese of Hamhung and theTerritorial Abbey of Tokwon: their last ordinary, the abbotBoniface Sauer, was imprisoned in 1949 and died 1950 in prison. TheBishop of Chuncheon currently acts as the apostolic administrator of Hanhung, and the Abbot ofWaegwan Abbey acts as the apostolic administrator of Tokwon.
In addition, thePersonal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney is a non-territorial jurisdiction, similar to apersonal prelature; it is exempt, immediately subject to the Holy See and not part of anyecclesiastical province. It is a separateparticular church fortraditionalist Catholics within theDiocese of Campos, inBrazil, a suffragan of theMetropolitan Archdiocese of Niterói.
The personal apostolic administration was formed by PopeJohn Paul II to minister to a group of traditionalist Catholic priests that uses theTridentine Mass. The group had been formed by BishopAntônio de Castro Mayer and been associated with theSociety of St. Pius X of ArchbishopMarcel Lefebvre[6][7][8] before they reconciled with Rome on January 18, 2002.
While awaiting for the date of assuming his new position or installation, the outgoing prelate still serve as bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese and at the same time act as the apostolic administrator of a territory that he currently leads from the time of announcement or appointment to that either of assuming into his new position or effective date of the retirement.
It is fairly typical that the pope can decide to name an administrator himself to a diocese or archdiocese that lacks an ordinary (bishop or archbishop). He then calls as apostolic administrator acting as temporary bishop or archbishop duties and responsibilities-wise, instead of waiting for the college ofconsultors to appoint adiocesan or archdiocesan administrator. Usually, the emeritus bishop or auxillary bishop is appointed in such a case. If the appointed apostolic administrator is a diocesan bishop or archbishop of a diocese or archdiocese, he governs two Catholic territories, which are his own and the vacant one, the latter being temporarily while a successor of a vacant diocese is not yet became a bishop or archbishop of a particular territory. Recently and exceptionally, theArchdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh hadPhilip Tartaglia under that procedure.
For example,Luis Antonio Tagle,Archbishop of Manila ended his tenure as the archdiocese's archbishop when he became Prefect of theCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 9 February 2020.Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo,Auxiliary Bishop ofManila, was then appointed as apostolic administrator until CardinalJose Advincula became Tagle's successor as archbishop on 24 June 2021.
Ruperto Cruz Santos, the fourthBishop of Balanga inBataan andSocrates Buenaventura Villegas's successor from 1 April 2010 to 22 July 2023 and installed into office on 8 July 2010 (4,860 days), ended his tenure as the diocese's bishop when he became fifthBishop of Antipolo, with jurisdiction overMarikina, inMetro Manila, and the province ofRizal upon his installation on 22 July 2023 to succeedFrancisco Mendoza de Leon, who retired as bishop at the said date of July 2023.Florentino Galang Lavarias,Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga, was then appointed as apostolic administrator who served on that position until Santos' successorRufino Sescon became fifth bishop on 1 March 2025.Honesto Flores Ongtioco, the second Bishop of Balanga, from 18 June 1998 to 28 August 2003, succeeded Celso Nogoy Guevarra andBishop of Cubao inQuezon City from 28 August 2003 to 3 December 2024, served the same position atRoman Catholic Diocese of Malolos, which covers the province ofBulacan and the city ofValenzuela from 11 May 2018 to 21 August 2019 because of the death ofJose Francisco Oliveros, who served as its fourth bishop from 5 August 2004 to 11 May 2018.
Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, theBishop of Hong Kong, died on 3 January 2019. CardinalJohn Tong Hon, a bishop emeritus, was then appointed as apostolic administrator.
The Pope may to appoint an apostolic administratorsede plena, as a temporary replacement.Anthony Sablan Apuron, theArchbishop of Agaña, was under investigation forsexual abuse in June 2016, andPope Francis then appointedSavio Hon Tai-fai as apostolic administratorsede plena. On 31 October 2016,Michael J. Byrnes, Auxiliary Bishop ofDetroit, was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Agaña with full administrative authority and later succeeded as archbishop.
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