Apostolic Administration of Estonia Apostolica Administratio Estoniensis Eesti Apostellik Administratuur |
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Cathedral of Tallinn
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Location | |
Country | Estonia |
Metropolitan | Immediately subject to the Holy See |
Statistics | |
Area | 45,213 km2 (17,457 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2011) 1,340,000 5,745 (0.4%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 1 November 1924 |
Cathedral | St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral, Tallinn |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Apostolic Administrator | Philippe Jean-Charles Jourdan |
The Apostolic Administration of Estonia is a Latin, territorial Catholic circonscription that covers all of the Baltic state of Estonia.
It is an apostolic administration (quasi-diocesan jurisdiction) of the Latin Roman Catholic church in Estonia, hence is exempt (i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province) and has its cathedral episcopal see, Peeter-Pauli katedraalis (Saints Peter and Paul), in the national capital Tallinn.
The post of apostolic administrator has often been held by titular archbishops, combining it with papal diplomatic posts in the three Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).
In 1918, when Estonia gained independence, its citizens had complete freedom of religion. The Holy See recognized Estonia on 10 October 1921. The Apostolic Administration of Estonia was established on November 1, 1924, on territory split off from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Riga (in Baltic neighbor state Latvia).
The see remained vacant during most of the period the country was demoted to constituent Soviet Republic of Estonia within the Communist USSR after the death of Bishop Eduard Profittlich in 1942 because of the suppression of the church by Soviet authorities.
Since 1992, after Estonia's post-communist independence, apostolic administrators are once again appointed. It enjoyed a papal visit in September 1993 from Pope John Paul II.
Coordinates: 59°26′17″N 24°44′56″E / 59.4381°N 24.7489°E