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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 administration), or is a diocese, archdiocese, eparchy or similar permanent ordinariate (such as a territorial prelature or a territorial abbacy) that either has no bishop or archbishop (an apostolic administrator sede vacante, as after an episcopal death, resignation or transfer to other (arch)diocese) or, in very rare cases, has an incapacitated (arch)bishop (apostolic administrator sede plena). The title also applies to an outgoing (arch)bishop while awaiting for the date of assuming his new position.

Apostolic administrators of stable administrations are equivalent in canon law with diocesan bishops and archbishops, meaning they have essentially the same authority as a diocesan bishop and archbishop. This type of apostolic administrator is usually the bishop or archbishop of a titular see.

Administrators sede vacante or sede plena only serve in their role until a newly chosen diocesan bishop or archbishop takes possession of the (arch)diocese. They are restricted by canon law in what they can do to the (arch)diocese they temporarily administer. For example, such an administrator may not sell real estate owned by the diocese or archdiocese. This type of administrator is commonly an auxiliary bishop and a priest serving as the vicar general of the (arch)diocese, or the ordinary of a neighboring (arch)diocese.

Normally when a diocese or archdiocese falls vacant, either the previously appointed coadjutor bishop takes possession of the see, or (a successor is not yet installed or assumed office) a vicar capitular or (arch)diocesan administrator is chosen locally but the pope, being 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 where it is then called an apostolic administrator. Sometimes a retiring, promoted or transferred (arch)bishop is designated to be apostolic administrator until his successor is installed; sometimes the metropolitan or a fellow suffragan is appointed.

In March 2021, there were the following stable apostolic administrations, most administered by a (titular or external) bishop.^[1]

Most are of the Roman rite; most are in former or current communist countries.

• Apostolic Administration of Atyrau, in Kazakhstan, suffragan of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Astana^[2][3]
• Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus, immediately subject to the Holy See, established in 1991 for two predominantly Orthodox former Soviet Republics: Georgia (the cathedral is in its capital Tbilisi) and Armenia
• Apostolic Administration of Estonia, one of the Baltic Countries; immediately subject to Rome, established in 1924, with its cathedral in the capital Tallinn. On September 26, 2024, after 100 years as an Apostolic Administration, the Vatican announced that it had raised the apostolic administration of Tallinn to the level of diocese.^[4]
• Apostolic Administration of Harbin in the People's Republic of China, immediately subject to Rome, established in 1935, with a cathedral and a bishop without papal mandate since 2012, recognized from the Holy See in 2018
• Apostolic Administration of Kinmen-Matsu [zh], immediately subject to the Holy See, established in 1968 for Fuchien Province (Kinmen and Matsu Islands) of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Islamic former Soviet Republic in Central Asia; immediately subject to Rome, founded in 1997 as a mission sui juris and promoted in 2006
• Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan, predominantly Islamic former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, immediately subject to Rome, founded in 1997 as a mission sui juris and promoted in 2005.

Some apostolic administrations have jurisdiction not only over Latin Rite Catholics, but also over Catholics of other rites, not having their own jurisdictions there:

• Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania, with pro-cathedral see at Vlorë, established in 1939 for all Catholics in southern regions of Albania, both of Latin and Byzantine rites;^[5] since 2005, it is suffragan of the Metropolitan of Tirana–Durrës.^[6]

Also some apostolic administrations have jurisdiction only over Catholics of the Byzantine Rite, that not having their own jurisdictions there:

• Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan and Central Asia for Faithful of Byzantine Rite, with a see in Karaganda, for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The Diocese of Pyongyang, North Korea: its last official bishop, Francis Hong Yong-ho, was imprisoned by the communist regime of Kim Il Sung in 1949 and later disappeared. The Metropolitan Archbishop of Seoul (South Korea) acts as the apostolic administrator for Pyongyang, as religion is suppressed in North Korea.

In addition, the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney is a non-territorial jurisdiction, similar to a personal prelature, which is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. It is a separate particular church for traditionalist Catholics within the Brazilian Diocese of Campos, a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Niterói.

The personal apostolic administration was formed by Pope John Paul II to administer to a group of traditionalist Catholic priests, using the Tridentine Mass, who reconciled with Rome on January 18, 2002. The group had been formed by Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer and had been associated with the Society of St. Pius X of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.^[7][8][9]

While awaiting for the date of assuming his new position or installation, the outgoing (arch)bishop can still serve as bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese and at the same time act as the apostolic administrator of a/an (arch)diocese he currently leads from the announcement or appointment to assuming into his new position.

It is fairly typical that the pope can decide to name an administrator himself to a diocese or archdiocese which lacks an ordinary (bishop or archbishop) called as apostolic administrator instead of waiting for the college of consultors of a particular (arch)diocese to appoint a diocesan or archdiocesan administrator. Usually, the emeritus (arch)bishop will be appointed in such a case. If the appointed apostolic administrator is a diocesan bishop or archbishop of a diocese or archdiocese, then he governs two (arch)dioceses which are his own and the vacant one, with the latter being temporarily while a successor of a vacant (arch)diocese is not yet installed or assumed office. Recently (and in exception to the latter), the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh had Philip Tartaglia under this procedure.

For example, Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, was appointed as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 8 December 2019 and ended his tenure as the archdiocese's archbishop when he took office in 9 February 2020. Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo, then-Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, was then appointed as apostolic administrator until Cardinal Jose Advincula became Tagle's successor as archbishop in 24 June 2021.

Ruperto Cruz Santos, fourth Bishop of Balanga in Bataan and Socrates Buenaventura Villegas' successor for 13 years, 3 months, and 21 days from 1 April 2010 to 22 July 2023 and assumed office on 8 July 2010 (4,860 days), ended his tenure as the diocese's bishop when he became fifth Bishop of Antipolo having jurisdiction over Marikina in Metro Manila and the province of Rizal upon his installation on 22 July 2023 to succeed Francisco Mendoza de Leon who retired as bishop on the said date of July 2023. Florentino Galang Lavarias, Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga, was then appointed as the diocese's apostolic administrator while awaiting for the installation of Santos' successor as Bishop of Balanga. Honesto Flores Ongtioco, second Bishop of Balanga from 18 June 1998 to 28 August 2003 who succeeded Celso Nogoy Guevarra and Bishop of Cubao in Quezon City since 28 August 2003, served as the apostolic administrator of Malolos covering the province of Bulacan and the city of Valenzuela from 11 May 2018 to 21 August 2019 due to the death of Jose Francisco Oliveros who served as the diocese's fourth bishop for 14 years from 14 May 2004 to 11 May 2018.

Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, the Bishop of Hong Kong, died on 3 January 2019. Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop Emeritus, was appointed as apostolic administrator.

There is also the ability for the pope to appoint an apostolic administrator sede plena. Anthony Sablan Apuron, the Archbishop of Agaña, was under investigation for sexual abuse in June 2016; Pope Francis appointed Savio Hon Tai-fai as apostolic administrator sede plena, as temporary replacement. On 31 October 2016, Michael J. Byrnes, then Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Agaña with full administrative authority, and later succeeded as archbishop.

• Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín (Czech Republic)
• Apostolic Administration of Drohiczyn (Poland; promoted Roman Catholic Diocese of Drohiczyn)
• Apostolic Administration of the Free City of Danzig (Free City of Danzig, currently Poland; promoted Diocese of Danzig, later renamed Diocese of Gdańsk and finally promoted Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gdańsk)
• Apostolic Administration of Eastern Siberia (Russia)
• Apostolic Administration of Estonia (Estonia)
• Apostolic Administration of Eupen–Malmedy–Sankt Vith (Belgium; promoted Diocese of Eupen–Malmedy, later suppressed into Liège diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of European Russia
• Apostolic Administration of Görlitz (Germany; promoted Diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of Haarlem (Netherlands; promoted Diocese, renamed Haarlem–Amsterdam)
• Apostolic Administration of Kamień, Lubusz and the Prelature of Piła with see in Gorzów Wielkopolski (Poland; dissolved 1972 and split into 3 parts, promoted: Diocese of Gorzów, renamed in 1992 Zielona Góra-Gorzów, Diocese of Szczecin-Kamień, later promoted Archdiocese, and Diocese of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg, with small easternmost fragment awarded to Diocese of Chełmno)
• Apostolic Administration of Lubaczów (promoted and renamed diocese of Zamość-Lubaczów, Poland)
• Apostolic Administration of Moldova (Moldavia; now diocese of Chisinau)
• Apostolic Administration of Northern European Russia
• Apostolic Administration of Novosibirsk (Russia)
• Apostolic Administration of Opole (Poland; promoted Diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of Prizren, a former diocese (and later titular bishopric) in Kosovo (in 1969 absorbed by Skopje in the present North Macedonia), restored in 2000, elevated in 2018 as diocese, immediately subject to Rome
• Apostolic administration of Schwerin (partitioned Germany, merged into Hamburg archbishopric)
• Apostolic Administration of Southern European Russia
• Apostolic Administration of Trnava (Slovakia; promoted Archdiocese, lost Metropolitan status when restored after merger into Bratislava)
• Apostolic Administration of Tütz (then Germany, currently Poland; see moved to Schneidemühl (now Piła), elevated to Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Schneidemühl, later made part of the Apostolic Administration of Kamień, Lubusz and the Prelature of Piła)
• Apostolic Administration of Upper Silesia (Poland; now Archdiocese of Katowice)
• Apostolic Administration of Western Siberia (Russia)
• Apostolic Administration of West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen), province in Belgium; promoted diocese and renamed Bruges (Brugge) after its see)
• Apostolic Administration of Yugoslav Bačka (Serbia; now Diocese of Subotica)
• Apostolic Administration of Yugoslav Banat (Serbia; now Diocese of Zrenjanin)
• Archdiocese of Białystok (Poland; formerly an Apostolic administration as part of Archdiocese of Vilnius, Lithuania)

• Apostolic Administration of Lemkowszczyzna (Poland; Ukrainian Catholic, promoted Apostolic Exarchate, suppressed)
• Ruthenian Catholic Apostolic Administration of Bosnia-Hercegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Byzantine Rite; suppressed)
• Ruthenian Catholic Apostolic Administration of Targul-Siret (Romania, Byzantine Rite; suppressed)

In Asia

• Apostolic Administration of Almaty (Kazachstan; promoted Diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of Astana (Kazachstan; promoted Archdiocese)
• Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan (promoted Diocese and renamed Karaganda after its see)
• Apostolic Administration of Latakia (Maronite, Syria; now an Eparchy: Eastern Catholic Diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of Okinawa and the Southern Islands, alias Ryukyus (Japan; now Diocese of Naha)

In America

• Apostolic Administration of Copiapó (Chile; now a diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of El Petén (Guatemala; promoted Apostolic Vicariate)
• Apostolic Administration of Izabal (Guatemala; now a diocese)
• Apostolic Administration of Rio Branco (Brazil; promoted Territorial Prelature, renamed and again promoted Diocese of Roraima)

In Africa

• Apostolic Administration of the Comoros Archipelago (Comoros; now Apostolic Vicariate of the Comoros Archipelago)
• Apostolic Administration of Mbuji-Mayi (now Diocese of Mbujimayi, in Congo)
• Apostolic Administration of Zanzibar and Pemba (now Diocese of Zanzibar, in Tanzania)

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