The Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania is an apostolic administration of the Catholic Church in Albania, covering the southern regions of the country. It has jurisdiction over all Catholics on its territory, both of Latin Church and Byzantine Catholics. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tiranë–Durrës. Its cathedra is in the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Louis in the episcopal see of Vlorë. The Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania constitutes an ecclesiastical territory comprising the Albanian Greek Catholic Church, which itself does not exclusively govern any episcopal jurisdictions. Such claims have been questioned by some leading Eastern Catholic experts.

History

On 11 November 1939, the Holy See issued the papal bull Inter regiones, establishing the Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania. Initially, it was created as a regular apostolic administration, for all Catholics in southern regions of Albania, both of Latin and Byzantine rites. Its territory was detached from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Durrës, and initially covered districts of Elbassan, Korca, Berat, Valona and Argyrocastro. Since 25 January 2005, it is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tiranë-Durrës, within the newly created metropolitan province. From 1937 to 2024, the Apostolic Administration was served exclusively by priests supplied from the Diocese of Rimini, until the first local priest was ordained in 2024.

Episcopal ordinaries

''(all Albanian Catholic)

Sources