List of Catholic dioceses in Central Asia

Last updated March 07, 2022

The Catholic church in Central Asia (the five ex-Soviet republics of western Turkestan, where Islam is very dominant) comprises solely a Latin hierarchy, consisting of:

a Latin ecclesiastical province in Kazachstan joint in a national episcopal conference with the (non-exempt!) Apostolic Administration of Atyrau
four exempt pre-diocesan jurisdictions (two apostolic administrations and two independent missions), without province or episcopal conference, one for the each of other four republics.

They are all members of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (F.A.B.C.), which as the name suggests consists mainly of episcopates from countries with national episcopal conferences.

There are no Eastern Catholic jurisdictions (although Nestorianism still remains in the region).

There is an Apostolic Nunciature to Kazakhstan as papal diplomatic representation (embassy-level), in the national capital Astana, into which are also vested the formal Apostolic Nunciatures to Kyrgyzstan and to Tajikistan.

There is an Apostolic Nunciature to Uzbekistan as papal diplomatic representation (embassy-level), in the national capital Tashkent.

There is formally an Apostolic Nunciature to Turkmenistan, but it's vested in the Apostolic Nunciature to Turkey, in its capital Ankara.

Current Latin jurisdictions

Exempt, pre-diocesan jurisdictions

(all directly dependent on the Holy See, and notably its missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples)

Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan, in Bishkek, for all Kyrgyzstan
Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan, in Tashkent, for all Uzbekistan
Mission sui juris of Tajikistan, for all Tajikistan
Mission sui juris of Turkmenistan, in Asgabat, for all Turkmenistan

Episcopal Conference of Kazachstan = Ecclesiastical Province of Astana

covering all of Kazakhstan, including a pre-diocesan yet suffragan see

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mary Most Holy in Astana

Defunct jurisdictions

There are no titular sees.

Nearly all defunct jurisdictions (mostly promoted) have current Latin successor sees, except :

Latin Diocese of Samarcanda, 14th century, with see at Samarkand, in present Uzbekistan

Sources and external links

Related Research Articles

An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese, or is a diocese, eparchy or similar permanent ordinariate that either has no bishop or, in very rare cases, has an incapacitated bishop.

The Catholic Church in Kazakhstan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome.

A mission sui iuris, or in Latin missio sui iuris ; also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, ranking below an apostolic prefecture and an apostolic vicariate, in an area with very few Catholics, often desolate or remote.

The Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mary Most Holy in Astana is a Latin archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kazakhstan.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Karaganda is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church, suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of Mary Most Holy in Astana, yet remains subject to the missionary Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan is a Roman Catholic Apostolic Administration for the Catholics of Kyrgyzstan.

The Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan is a Roman Catholic Apostolic Administration for the Catholics of Uzbekistan.

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