Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Germany
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Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Germany (1868–1930) the Nordic Missions (1667–1868) Vicariatus Apostolicus … Germaniae Septentrionalis Missionum Septentrionalium Apostolisches Vikariat der Nordischen Missionen Deutschlands (1868–1930) Apostolisches Vikariat der Nordischen Missionen (de)/ Det apostoliske vikariat i nord (no) |
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| Location | |
| Country | areas in today’s Germany (1868–1930) areas in today’s Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Sweden (1669–1868) |
| Ecclesiastical province | exempt |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 18,947 km2 (7,315 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 1900/1905) 1,944,861 57,320 (2.95%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 28 April 1667 renamed: 7 August 1868 dissolved: 13 August 1930 |
| Current leadership | |
| Apostolic Vicar | last: Hermann Wilhelm Berning |
The Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Germany (Latin: Vicariatus Apostolicus Germaniae Septentrionalis) was known for most of its existence as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern (or Nordic) Missions (Latin: Vicariatus Apostolicus Missionum Septentrionalium), established on 28 April 1667. It was a Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction of a Vicar Apostolic in predominantly Protestant Northern Europe. On 7 August 1868, on the occasion of completing separate jurisdictions for all of Scandinavia, the vicariate only continued to comprise small areas in Northern Germany and was thus renamed. With the integration of these areas into other Roman Catholic dioceses the vicariate ceased to exist on 13 August 1930.
The Reformation in the 16th century caused the Roman Catholic Church to lose almost all of Northern Europe. In 1582 the stray Catholics of Denmark, Finland, Northern Germany, Norway, and Sweden were placed under the jurisdiction of a Apostolic Nuncio to Cologne. The Congregation de propaganda fide, on its establishment in 1622, took charge of the vast missionary field, which at its third session it divided among the nuncio of Brussels (for the Catholics in Denmark and Norway), the nuncio at Cologne (much of Northern Germany) and the nuncio of Poland (Finland, Mecklenburg, and Sweden).
Following the organisational structure of the Church the apostolic vicariate included the diocesan areas of bishoprics, where Roman Catholic jurisdiction had effectively been abolished (see the list in section Dioceses comprised in the vicariate). This was partially due to (1) secular rulers or governments repressing Catholic faith and clergy in their territories, which comprised the diocesan areas, (2) due to the fact that incumbent bishops had converted to Lutheranism, or (3) because the cathedral capitular canons, responsible for electing new bishops, had adopted Lutheranism and thus chose fellow faithful candidates, who thus de facto ascended the sees (typical for prince-bishoprics in Northern Germany).
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