Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania
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 Elbasan, Korçë, Berat, Vlorë and Gjirokastër.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
;Apostolic Administrators of Southern Albania
- Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris, Titular Archbishop of Philippi, while Apostolic Delegate to Albania
- Nikollë Vinçenc Prennushi, while Roman Catholic Archbishop of Durrës
- position vacant
- Ivan Dias, Titular Archbishop of Rusibisir, while Apostolic Nuncio to Albania, previously Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Benin, Ghana and Togo, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Bombay, created Cardinal-priest of Spirito Santo alla Ferratella, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, President of the Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious, Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University
- Hil Kabashi, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of Turres in Byzacena
- Giovanni Peragine, B., Titular Bishop of Phoenice