Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia

Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia

Apostolicus Vicariatus Arabiae Septentrionalis

النيابة الرسولية العربية الشمالية
Location
CountryKuwait
Bahrain
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Statistics
Area2,179,846 km2 (841,643 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2020)
43,463,583
2,722,000[1] (6.3%)
Churches11
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite, Maronite, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, Coptic Catholic
Established29 June 1953 (As Prefecture Apostolic of Kuwait)
2 December 1954 (As Apostolic Vicariate of Kuwait)
31 May 2011 (As Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia)
CathedralCathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, Bahrain
Co-cathedralHoly Family Co-Cathedral, Kuwait
PatronessOur Lady of Arabia
Secular priests54
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
Apostolic VicarAldo Berardi OSsT
Map
Website
Website of the Apostolic Vicariate
Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia
Catholic
Incumbent:
Aldo Berardi, OSsT
Ordained on 18 March 2023
Information
First holderCamillo Ballin MCCJ
Established2011
CathedralCathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, Bahrain
Co-cathedralHoly Family Co-Cathedral, Kuwait

The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (Latin: Vicariatus Apostolicus Arabiæ Septentrionalis) (Arabic: النيابة الرسولية العربية الشمالية) is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The vicar apostolic of the vicariate is Bishop Aldo Berardi OSsT.[2] It was first established in 1953 (as the Apostolic Prefecture of Kuwait) and took its current name in 2011.

The apostolic vicariate is led by a vicar apostolic, who is usually a titular bishop. While such a territory can be classed as a particular Church, according to canon 371.1 of the Latin Code of Canon Law, a vicar apostolic's jurisdiction is an exercise of the jurisdiction of the Pope – the territory comes directly under the Pope as "universal bishop", and the vicariate come directly under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, where the pope exercises this authority through a "vicar".[3] This is unlike the jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop, whose jurisdiction derives directly from his office.

The see of the apostolic vicar is in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali, Bahrain, with a co-cathedral, the Holy Family Co-Cathedral, located in Kuwait City which was the former seat of the vicariate.

  1. ^ gcatholic. "Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia". gcatholic.org. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  2. ^ "The Vicariates of the Arabian Peninsula: Introduction". The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  3. ^ Scudder, Lewis R. (1998). The Arabian Mission's Story: In Search of Abraham's Other Son. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-4616-7.