vicariate

A vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction or office headed by a vicar, a deputy or substitute acting on behalf of a superior. The term comes from the Latin vicarius, meaning substitute or deputy, and it is used in religious and administrative contexts to denote authority exercised by a vicar in a defined area.

In the Catholic Church, vicariates are commonly used to administer regions where the church has not yet organized a diocese. The most familiar form is the apostolic vicariate, a missionary or provisional jurisdiction governed in the pope’s name by an apostolic vicar. The apostolic vicar usually holds the office by virtue of being a bishop or a titular bishop, and the territory is directly subject to the Holy See rather than to a local metropolitan. An apostolic vicariate can be elevated later to a diocese when local conditions—such as clergy, faithful, and infrastructure—warrant full canonical status. A related form is the apostolic prefecture, typically led by a prefect who is usually a priest rather than a bishop, serving a mission territory with still more limited structures. In some contexts, a vicariate-like arrangement may also appear within a diocese as a subdivision governed by a vicar or vicar general, although such use is more accurately described as internal governance rather than a separate territorial entity.

Outside the Catholic Church, vicariates may denote districts or areas governed by a vicar in other Christian traditions or historical contexts. The exact structure and authority of a vicariate vary by jurisdiction and canon or ecclesial law.