ECCLESIASTICAL SUPERIOR. — He is the superior of autonomous or sui iuris missions, which represent the first stage of ecclesiastical organization in the missions.
Examples of these were already found toward the end of the last century, but they developed and became established only after the CIC, especially through the van Rossum (v.), prefect of the S. Congr. de Propaganda Fide from 1918 to 1932, with the aim of enabling new missionaries to begin the apostolate in a given place. Today Propaganda prefers new missionaries to work in an area under the guidance of the local Ordinary within the boundaries of a diocese or quasi-diocese, and the territory may eventually be divided and erected into a diocese or quasi-diocese.
At the head of autonomous missions is the e. s., who is appointed directly by decree by Propaganda, like apostolic prefects, and, like them, has equal rights and faculties and enjoys the same ordinary jurisdiction; he is therefore a true local Ordinary, although can. 198 and chapter VIII of part 1 of book II of the CIC do not mention him. That chapter, however, up to the final drafting of 1916, did speak of the e. s. According to the instruction of Propaganda dated 7 November 1929 (Sylloge P. F., n. 146, pp. 349-350), the canons referring to apostolic prefectures and apostolic prefects apply, «servatis servandis» in general terms, to autonomous missions and their e. s. The e. s. may therefore appoint a delegated superior, or rather a delegated vicar; they must «ex iustitia» (cf. can. 306) apply the Mass «pro populo» (Sylloge P. F., n. 187, pp. 463-64), but they do not enjoy the honorary privileges of apostolic prefects (cf. can. 308).
The e. s. may also designate the local Ordinary in relation to the religious or regular superior of a religious Order or Congregation. These two terms, thus contrasted, are particularly used in missionary law to determine the rights and duties of the local Ordinary in the missions and of the religious superior of the missionaries working there (v. TERRITORI DI MISSIONE). In the practice of missionary societies without vows, the superior of the missionaries is called the regional superior.