Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia Apostolicus Vicariatus Arabiae Meridionalis النيابة الرسولية من جنوب الجزيرة العربية
Location
Country	Yemen United Arab Emirates Oman
Statistics
Area	929,969 km2 (359,063 sq mi)
Churches	16
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Byzantine Rite[1] Coptic Catholic[citation needed] Malankara Rite[2][3] Maronite[citation needed] Roman Rite Syro-Malabar[3]
Cathedral	St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi
Language	Ecclesiastical Latin Arabic English language Filipino language[2] French language[2][1] German language[2][1] Italian language[2][1] Konkani language[2][1][3][4][5] Korean language[2][1] Malayalam[2][1][3][4][5] Marathi language[4] Polish language[2] Sinhala language[2][1][3][4] Spanish language[1] Tagalog language[1][3][4][5] Tamil language[2][1][3][4][5] Ukrainian language[2] Urdu[2][3][4]
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Vicar Apostolic	Paolo Martinelli
Map
Website
Website of the Apostolic Vicariate

Vicar of Southern Arabia
Catholic
Coat of arms
Incumbent: Paolo Martinelli Installed 2 July 2022
Location
Country	United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen
Information
First holder	Paul Hinder
Established	2011
Cathedral	St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (Latin: Vicariatus Apostolicus Arabiæ Meridionalis) (Arabic: النيابة الرسولية من جنوب الجزيرة العربية) is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.^[6]

The vicar apostolic of the vicariate is Paolo Martinelli.^[7]

It was first established in 1888 (as the Apostolic Vicariate of Aden) and took its current name in 2011. The see of the vicar apostolic is in St. Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. Since 1916 it has been in the care of the Capuchins of Florence.

History

The territory was originally part of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Gallas, but it was separated into an apostolic prefecture by Pope Pius IX on 21 January 1875. On 25 April 1888, Pope Leo XIII made the Apostolic Vicariate of Aden, located in Yemen. On the 28 June 1889, the name was changed to the Vicariate Apostolic of Arabia, responsible for the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding region: Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Somalia and Yemen.^[8]

On 29 June 1953, the then Apostolic Prefecture of Kuwait (which has become the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia) was separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia. In 1973, the see of the jurisdiction was transferred from Aden to St. Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi.^[9] A subsequent redrawing of boundaries in 2011 reduced its jurisdiction to the countries of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The vicariate has been governed by the Capuchin friars since 1916.^[8]

Apostolic Vicars of Arabia

1. Louis-Callixte Lasserre (1888 – April 1900)
2. Bernard Thomas Edward Clark (21 March 1902 – 18 June 1910)
3. Raffaele Presutti (13 September 1910 – 1915)
4. Evangelista Latino Enrico Vanni (15 April 1916 – 1925)
5. Pacifico Tiziano Micheloni (25 April 1933 – 6 July 1936)
6. Giovanni Tirinnanzi (2 July 1937 – 27 January 1949)^[10]
7. Irzio Luigi Magliacani (25 December 1949 – 1969)
8. Giovanni Bernardo Gremoli (2 October 1975 – 21 March 2005)
9. Paul Hinder (21 March 2005 – 31 May 2011) ^[11]

Apostolic Vicars of Southern Arabia

1. Paul Hinder (31 May 2011 – 1 May 2022)^[12]
2. Paolo Martinelli (1 May 2022 – present)

Statistics

Area

• 929,969 km²

Population

• Total population: 42,948,063
• Total Catholic Population: 998,500
• Parishes: 16
• Diocesan priests: 17
• Priests belonging to Religious Institutes: 51
• Total Priests: 68
• Permanent deacons living in the diocese: 1
• Professed non-priest Men Religious belonging to Religious Institutes: 1
• Professed Women Religious belonging to Religious Institutes: 53

List of churches under the jurisdiction of the vicar

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi - St. Joseph's Cathedral

Mussafah - St. Paul's Church

Al Ain - St. Mary's Church

Ruwais - St. John the Baptist Church

Dubai - St. Mary's Catholic Church

Jebel Ali - St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Sharjah - St. Michael's Catholic Church

Ras Al Khaimah - St. Anthony of Padua Church

Fujairah - Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

Oman

Muscat - Holy Spirit Church, Sts. Peter and Paul Church

Salalah - St. Francis Xavier Church

Sohar - St. Anthony's Church

Yemen

Aden - Proto-Cathedral St. Francis of Assisi

Hodeidah - Sacred Heart Church

Sana'a - St. Mary Help of Christians Church

Taiz - St. Therese of the Child Jesus Church