prelatura

Prelatura, or prelature in English, is a jurisdiction of the Catholic Church established by the Holy See and governed by a prelate. Unlike a diocese, a prelature is not a single territorial structure of the whole local Church. Instead, it exists either over a defined geographic area with its own parishes and clergy, or over a community of faithful whose connection is personal rather than territorial.

There are three main kinds of prelatures. Territorial prelature covers a specific geographic territory that may be too small or difficult to organize as a diocese. The prelate exercises ordinary governance similar to a diocesan bishop, within the norms of canon law, and the territory may be directly subject to the Holy See or part of an ecclesiastical province. Apostolic prelature is a mission territory not yet ready to form a diocese, where the prelate governs the faithful and activities on a territorial basis until growth or stability permits a different structure. Personal prelature, by contrast, is defined by the nature of the faithful rather than geography; it prescribes a common pastoral framework for people who belong to the prelature, while they typically remain part of their local dioceses. The best-known example of a personal prelature is Opus Dei, established to organize its members under a single prelate while they remain integrated in their own dioceses.

In all forms, the head of a prelature is a prelate, who may be a bishop or a priest, and the prelature operates under canonical law and papal authority. Prelatures illustrate the Catholic Church’s adaptive approaches to pastoral care in diverse circumstances, from missionary territories to specialized Catholic communities.