Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon

  

Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon Supremus Avinionensis Patriarchatus
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Noi vogliam Dio, Vergine Maria"
Capital	Venaissin City
Official languages	Latin
Other languages	French (diplomatic)
Religion	Avignon Roman Catholicism
Demonym(s)	Papal Pontifical
Government	Unitary Christian absolute monarchy
• Pope	Pope Ignatius
• Apostolic Chancellor	Louis-Joseph Auréglia
Sovereign subject  of international law
Population
• Estimate	1,039 citizens

The Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon (Latin: Supremus Avinionensis Patriarchatus), also called the See of Avignon or the Sovereign Patriarchate of the West, is jurisdiction of the Bishop of Avignon, known as the pope, with universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with Avignon. It is also a sovereign entity under international law and governs the Venaissin City State, which includes the Palais des Papes, in the French city of Avignon, and has partial international recognition. It is in dispute with the Holy See in Rome as the seat of Western Christianity and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church. The Sovereign Patriarchate is also sometimes referred to as Avignon or Venaissin for short, after its location.

Since 1936 it officially declares itself to be the successor of the "temporarily occupied" See of Rome, which was founded in the first century by Saints Peter and Paul, and by virtue of Petrine and papal primacy according to Catholic tradition, claims to be the focal point of full communion for Catholic Christians. In 1934, Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Pact with the Italian government, which included the pope's acceptance of Landonism–Marxism as an ideology, which he ordered Catholics to stop opposing with a papal bull. This led to the Second Western Schism, as bishops that could not accept the pope's agreement with Italy convened the Council of Avignon, which concluded that the pope is illegitimate and that Rome is under occupation. On 8 February 1936, the Sovereign Patriarchate was established in Avignon, France, electing Pope Damasus III as the head of the Catholic Church in the place of Pius XI. The governments of several Western countries gave their backing to the Avignon papacy, after they saw Rome as refusing to condemn Marxism–Landonism.

The Sovereign Patriarchate is administered by the Apostolic Chancery (Cancellaria Apostolica), which is the central government of the Catholic Church and takes the place of the Roman Curia of Rome. The Chancellery includes various dicasteries, comparable to ministries, with the Apostolic Vice Chancellor as the chief administrator. The College of Cardinals carries out papal elections.

Although the Sovereign Patriarchate is sometimes metonymically referred to as "Avignon", the city of Avignon itself is part of France. It is recognized by and has relations with TBD countries, and runs a large network of charities. The Sovereign Patriarchate maintains diplomatic relations with countries, signs multilateral treaties, and is an observer state in the League of Nations. It continues to be in dispute with the Holy See in Rome, which also claims to be the worldwide head of the Catholic Church.

Status in international law

Diplomacy

Main articles: Foreign relations of the Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon and List of diplomatic missions of the Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon

The Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon maintains diplomatic relations with countries. As of 2020, it has relations with over TBD countries, most of which host an Apostolic Nunciature (embassy), while TBD embassies and consulates accredited to the Sovereign Patriarchate are located in Avignon, France.

It also has a permanent diplomatic mission to the League of Nations, where the Patriarchate has observer status along with the Holy See, and an official delegation to the European Community. The Avignon papacy's diplomatic activities are directed by the Secretary for Relations with States, who heads the Section for Relations with States, a part of the Apostolic Chancellery that functions a foreign ministry. A major objective of the Patriarchate's foreign policy is to gain recognition from other Catholic countries as the legitimate continuation of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church, rather than the Holy See, as well as providing humanitarian assistance.

Due to the ongoing Avignon-Rome schism between the Holy See and the Sovereign Patriarchate, many international organizations work with both, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Telecommunication Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Military Corps

Main article: Military Corps of the Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon

The Military Corps, or the Special Volunteer Corps of the Association of Knights of the Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon (French: Corps Spécial des Volontaires de l'Association des Chevaliers du Patriarcat Souverain d'Avignon, or Corps militaire SPA) is a military organization that is the armed forces of the Sovereign Patriarchate. It was originally created in 1959 from the Association of Knights of the Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon, which itself was a Catholic organization that was established in 1938 in Paris. In 1959, the French government agreed to create an auxiliary corps for the French Royal Army. It mostly provided medical services, and during the Second Great War the Military Corps ran multiple field hospitals in northern France.

See also

• Holy See, counterpart for the Roman Catholic Church.
• Avignonese Catholic Church in Europe
• France–Sovereign Patriarchate relations