The Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania ( sq, Administratura Apostolike e Shqiperisë së Jugut, la, Administratio Apostolica Albaniae Meridionalis, it, Albania Meridionale) is an

apostolic administration An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

, covering the southern regions of the country. It has jurisdiction over all Catholics on its territory, both of

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

and

Byzantine Catholics The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

. It is

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

to the Archdiocese of Tiranë–Durrës. Its

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...

is in the

Pro-Cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostoli ...

of St. Mary and St. Louis ( sq, Kisha e Shën Maria dhe Shën Luigji) in the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

. The Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania constitutes an ecclesiastical territory comprising the

Albanian Greek Catholic Church The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ( la, Ecclesiae Graecae Catholico Albanica; sq, Kisha Katolike Bizantine Shqiptare), also known as the Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church, is an autonomous ('' sui iuris'' in Latin) Byzantine Rite particular ...

, which itself does not exclusively govern any episcopal jurisdictions. Such claims have been questioned by some leading Eastern Catholic experts.

History

Lagekarte Apostolische Administratur Südalbanien

On 11 November 1939, the Holy See issued the papal bull ''Inter regiones'', establishing the ''Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania''. Initially, it was created as a regular

, for all Catholics in southern regions of Albania, both of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

rites. Its territory was detached from the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Durrës Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, and initially covered districts of Elbassan, Korca, Berat, Valona and Argyrocastro. Since 25 January 2005, it is suffragan to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tiranë-Durrës Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, within the newly created metropolitan province.

Episcopal ordinaries

''(all Albanian Catholic) ;Apostolic Administrators of Southern Albania *

Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris (27 August 1884 – 21 September 1964) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in Albania. He became an archbishop in 1938. Biography Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris was born on 27 August 1884 in Ampe ...

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colo ...

(11 November 1939 – 1945), while

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

to Albania *

Nikollë Vinçenc Prennushi Nikollë or Kolë is an Albanian male given name, derived from the Greek name Νικόλαος ('' Nikolaos''). The definite form is Nikolla. Notable people bearing this name include: *Nikollë Bardhi (1551-1617), Albanian prelate of the Roman C ...

( O.F.M.) (1946 – death 19 March 1949), while Roman Catholic Archbishop of Durrës * position vacant (1949 – 1992) *

Ivan Dias Ivan Cornelius Dias (14 April 1936 – 19 June 2017) was an Indian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2006 to 2011, Archbishop of Bombay from 1996 to 2006, and befo ...

, Titular Archbishop of

Rusibisir Rusippisir was a Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast at the site of present-day Taksebt. Name Rusippisir is the latinization of the town's Punic name, which probably meant "Cape Rosemary". Geography ...

(1992 – 1996.11.08), while

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

(papal ambassador) to Albania, previously Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

(1982.05.08 – 1987.06.20),

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

and

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

(1982.05.08 – 1987.06.20), Apostolic Nuncio to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

(1987.06.20 – 1991.01.16); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

(India) (1996.11.08 – 2006.05.20), created

Cardinal-priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

Spirito Santo alla Ferratella Spirito Santo alla Ferratella is a titular church for a cardinal-priest and parish church in Rome, dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Church Located at Via Rocco Scotellaro 11, Roma, Roma, Lazio 00144 (near Viale Cesare Pavese), in the southern prefec ...

(2001.02.21 001.06.03– ...), Prefect of the Roman

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

(2006.05.20 – 2011.05.10), President of the

Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious The Permanent Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious is part of the Roman Curia. It was established in 1989 to better handle religious in missionary lands, mostly in Africa and Asia. It became necessary when ''Pastor Bonus'' gave ...

(2006.05.20 – 2011.05.10), Grand Chancellor of the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

(2006.05.20 – 2011.05.10) * Hil Kabashi, O.F.M.,

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Turres in Byzacena (3 December 1996 - 15 June 2017) *

Giovanni Peragine Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

, B.,

Phoenice Phoenice or Phoenike ( el, Φοινίκη) was an ancient Greek city in Epirus and capital of the Chaonians.: "To the north the Chaonians had expelled the Corcyraeans from their holdings on the mainland and built fortifications at Buthrotum, K ...

(15 June 2017 - present)

History

Episcopal ordinaries

See also