Mission sui juris of I-li

The Mission sui juris of I-li was a pre-diocesan Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or mission sui iuris of the Catholic Church in Mongol-imperial China, notably in (mostly Muslim) East Turkestan.

History

 * In 1320, the jurisdiction has been established as Diocese of Ili-baluc, alias Almaliq, alias Kuldja, on pagan territory split off from the Archdiocese of Khanbalik 汗八里, in the Great Khan's Mongol-Chinese capital; no incumbent available, but it was suppressed in 1330.


 * Modern missions in the region, now known as Xinjiang (= Sinkiang), were mounted by the Scheutists from their neighboring Apostolic Vicariate of Kansu (now Archdiocese of Lanzhou), under its authority.
 * On 1 October 1888, the Ili see was restored, albeit demoted as lowest-ranking pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction: Mission sui juris of I-li 伊犁, alias Kuldja, alias Yining 伊寧.
 * It was again suppressed on 8 March 1922 by Pius XI's papal brief (breve) Apostolatus officium, incorporating its territory in the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Kansu (the former Kansu; two year later renamed Lanchowfu).

However its territory would soon see a new missionary see, the present Apostolic Prefecture of Xinjiang-Urumqi, confided to the Divine Word Missionaries on 14 February 1930 as Mission sui juris of Xinjiang.
 * Heritage

Ordinaries
It has had only three Ecclesiastical Superiors, all members of the Scheutists (C.I.C.M.), from the Low Countries :
 * Daniel Bernard van Koot, C.I.C.M. (1888–1893)
 * Jan Baptist Steeneman, C.I.C.M. (Dutch; 1898 – death 1918)
 * Joseph Hoogers (高東升), C.I.C.M. (Belgian; 1918.06.08 – 1922), later Apostolic Prefect of Datongfu 大同府 (China) (1923.03.03 – 1931.09.28).