Mission sui iuris of Afghanistan Missio sui juris Afghanistaniensis رسالت کاتولیک افغانستان | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Territory | Afghanistan |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediately subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 647,500 km2 (250,000 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2015) 27,102,000 205 (0.01%) |
| Parishes | 1 |
| Churches | 1 chapel |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 16 May 2002 |
| Cathedral | Our Lady of Divine Providence Chapel, Kabul |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Giovanni Scalese |
The Mission sui iuris of Afghanistan (Latin: Missio sui juris Afghanistaniensis) is the sui iuris mission of Afghanistan under direct jurisdiction of the Catholic Church. It is immediately subject to the Holy See and covers the whole territory of Afghanistan. It was established by the Holy See and entrusted to the care of the Order of Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (also known as "Barnabites"). It is presided over by an Ecclesiastical Superior (Latin: Superior Ecclesiasticus), who acts as the Local Ordinary (Can. 134 §2).[1]
History
On May 16, 2002, a mission sui iuris (pre-Diocesan jurisdiction) was created for all of Afghanistan, which remains exempt. This means that it belongs to no Ecclesiastical province, but rather is directly dependent on the Holy See and its missionary branch, the Dicastery for Evangelization. On November 4, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Giovanni M. Scalese, CRSP, as the second ecclesiastical superior of the mission sui iuris in Afghanistan. The mission has one parish (in the national capital of Kabul, with the single church in the Italian embassy) with 3 Priests (religious) and 6 lay religious sisters.[2]
Ecclesiastical Superiors Seco (Ecclesiastical Superiors)
Our Lady of Divine Providence Chapel
The Chapel of Our Lady of Divine Providence, or Chapel of the Italian Embassy in Kabul, was the only functional Catholic building in Afghanistan. It is located in the Street Great Massoud in the area of the Italian Embassy in Kabul.[4]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms for the mission was created by Marek Sobola, a Slovak heraldic artist, and has its own unique symbolism.[5]
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").[6]
References
- 1 2 Scalese, Giovanni (June 24, 2018). "The Independent Mission of Afghanistan". Nasara, the R. C. Mission of Afghanistan Newsletter. No. 6 (Summertime): 4.
- 1 2 "Mission sui juris of Afghanistan, Afghanistan". GCatholic. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
- ↑ Cheney, David M. "Afghanistan (Mission "Sui Iuris") [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
- ↑ "The Chapel". ambkabul.esteri.it. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
- ↑ Sobola, Marek. "Missio sui iuris Afghanistaniensis". sobola.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
- ↑ "Mission Sui Juris Afghanistan - Coat of arms (crest) of Mission Sui Juris Afghanistan)". www.ngw.nl. Archived from the original on 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2018-07-01.