Mission ''Sui Iuris'' of Afghanistan (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power of the ...
: ''Missio sui juris Afghanistaniensis'') is the independent mission of Afghanistan under direct jurisdiction of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. It is immediately subject to the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
and covers the whole territory of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a presidential republic that ruled Afghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghan interim (2001–2002) and transitional (2002–2004) administrations, which were formed ...
. It was established by the Holy See and entrusted to the care of the
Order of Clerics Regular of Saint Paul – Barnabites (CRSP). It is presided over by an Ecclesiastical Superior (Latin: ''Superior Ecclesiasticus''), who acts as the Local Ordinary (Can. 134 §2).
History
On May 16, 2002, a
mission ''sui iuris'' (pre-
Diocesan
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
jurisdiction) was created for all of Afghanistan, which remains exempt. This means that it belongs to no
Ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
, but rather is directly dependent on the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
and its missionary branch, the
Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
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 ...
. On November 4, 2014,
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
appointed Giovanni M. Scalese,
CRSP, as the second
ecclesiastical superior
A mission '' sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rank ...
of the mission ''sui iuris'' in Afghanistan. The mission has one parish (in the national capital of
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, with the single church in the Italian embassy) with 3 Priests (religious) and 6 lay religious sisters.
Ecclesiastical Superiors Seco (Ecclesiastical Superiors)
* Fr. Giuseppe Moretti, CRSP, born in Italy 1938 (16 May 2002 – retired 4. November 2014)
* Fr. Giovanni M. Scalese, CRSP, born in Italy 1955 (4 November 2014)
Our Lady of Divine Providence Chapel
The
Chapel of Our Lady of Divine Providence, or Chapel of the Italian Embassy in Kabul, is the only functional Catholic building in Afghanistan. It is located in the Street Great Massoud in the area of the Italian Embassy in Kabul.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms for the mission was created by
Marek Sobola
Marek Sobola (born 3 July 1981) is an authorised landscape architect, professional gardener and heraldic artist from Slovakia.
Biography
Sobola was born in Žilina, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) into a family from Lalinok and Divina. He spe ...
, a Slovak heraldic artist, and has its own unique symbolism.
Blazon of Coat of Crest
Azure, an increscent Argent with a Mullet of eight-points Or, A bordure is made up of 3 colors — Sable, Gules and Vert.
Behind the shield is the golden processional Herat cross. Under the shield is the red-lined silver ribbon with the motto "''Orietur Stella"'' ("A Star Shall Rise").
References
{{portalbar, Afghanistan
Catholic Church in Afghanistan
Afghanistan–Italy relations