Missionsui iuris

In thecanon lawof theCatholic Church,amissionsui iuris(Latin:missio sui iuris,pl.missiones sui iuris), also known as anindependent mission,can be defined as: "anecclesial structureerected from a previous territory, with explicit boundaries, under the care of a religious community or otherdiocese,responding to a missionary exigency and headed by a superior nominated by theHoly See,under the aegis of theCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples."^[1]

It is generally applied to an area with very fewCatholics,or in areas whereChristianity(in particularRoman Catholicism) is either outlawed or undergoingpersecution,often desolate or remote, and ranks below anapostolic prefectureand anapostolic vicariate.

The clerical head is styledEcclesiastical Superiorand can be a regularcleric,titular or diocesanbishop,archbishop or even acardinal,but if of episcopal rank often resides elsewhere (notably, in another diocese or the Vatican) in chief of his primary office there.

It can either be exempt (i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, like apostolic prefectures and apostolic vicariates), orsuffraganof a Metropolitan Archbishop, hence part of hisecclesiastical province.

Current missionssui iuris

As of March 2017, the only remaining cases — all of theLatin Church— were:

InAsia:

In the Atlantic Ocean:

Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha,vested in theApostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands

In the Caribbean:

Cayman Islands,in the ecclesiastical province of theArchbishop of Kingston in Jamaica(pastoral responsibility of theArchdiocese of Detroit)
Turks and Caicos,in the ecclesiastical province of theArchbishop of Nassau(pastoral responsibility of theArchdiocese of Newark)

InOceania:

Funafuti,inTuvalu,in the ecclesiastical province of theArchbishop of Suva
Tokelau,in the ecclesiastical province of theArchbishop of Samoa-Apia

Those for which no province is named areexempt,i.e. directly under theHoly See.

Former missionssui iuris

by continent and (present/colonial) country

InEurope

Mission sui iuris of Bataviaalias Holland - or Dutch mission(Netherlands)
Mission sui iuris of Central Norway(now Territorial Prelature of Trondheim)
Mission sui iuris of Northern Norway(now Territorial Prelature of Tromsø)
Mission sui iuris of Norway(now diocese of Oslo)

InAsia

Mission sui iuris of Baku(Azerbaijan; promoted Apostolic Prefecture)
Mission sui iuris of Coromandel Coast(India; now Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore)
Mission sui iuris of Gazireh(Turkey; suppressed)
Mission sui iuris of Hindustan(India; repeated promotions; now Metropolitan Archdiocese of Agra)
Mission sui iuris of I-li(imperial China; suppressed)
Mission sui iuris of Karafuto(Japan; promoted Apostolic Prefecture, became Soviet/Russian, renamed Yuzhno Sakhalinsk)
Mission sui iuris of Kyrgyzstan(nation; promoted Apostolic Administration)
Mission sui iuris of Miyazaki(Japan; promoted Apostolic Prefecture, now diocese of Oita)
Mission sui iuris of Mossul(Kurdistan, notably northern present Iraq; suppressed)
Mission sui iuris of Nepal(nation; promoted Apostolic Vicariate)
Mission sui iuris of Outer Mongolia(Mongolia; renamedMission sui juris of Urga)
Mission sui iuris of Qiqihar,alias Tsitiskar (China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture)
Mission sui iuris of Rajaburi(Thailand; now diocese Ratchaburi)
Mission sui iuris of Rajputana(India; promoted Apostolic Vicariate, now Diocese of Ajmer)
Mission sui iuris of Shiqian= Shihtsien (China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture)
Mission sui iuris of Sikkim(Indian state andBhutan;promoted twice, now Diocese of Darjeeling)
Mission sui iuris of Syria and Cilicia?(partially in present Iraq; temporarily promoted Apostolic Prefecture, demoted back, suppressed)
Mission sui iuris of Trabzon(Asian Turkey; promoted Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia)
Mission sui iuris of Uzbekistan(nation; promoted Apostolic Administration)
Mission sui iuris of Urga= Ulanbator (imperial China China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, for (Outer) Mongolia)
Mission sui iuris of Xin gian g-Urumqi(China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture)
Mission sui iuris of Yixian(China; promoted Apostolic Prefecture)