Map of Dioceses of England and Wales
England and Wales (red), with the rest of the United Kingdom (pink)
Westminster Cathedral, considered the Catholic mother church of England and Wales

The Catholic dioceses in Great Britain are organised by two separate hierarchies: the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the Catholic Church in Scotland. Within Great Britain, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has five provinces, subdivided into 22 dioceses, and the Catholic Church in Scotland has two provinces, subdivided into 8 dioceses. The Catholic dioceses in Northern Ireland are organised together with those in the Republic of Ireland, as the Catholic Church in Ireland was not divided when civil authority in Ireland was partitioned in 1921.

A diocese, also sometimes known popularly as a bishopric, is an administrative unit under the supervision of a bishop. The Diocese of Westminster is considered the mother church of English and Welsh Catholics,[1] and although not formally a primate, the Archbishop of Westminster is usually elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, providing a degree of a formal direction for the other English bishops and archbishops.

From the time of the English Reformation in the 16th century, with Catholicism being declared illegal, there were no Catholic dioceses in England and Wales. From 1688, there came to be appointed several apostolic vicars, clergymen in episcopal orders, governing a territory not in their own name, as diocesan bishops do, but provisionally in the name of the Pope. However, with the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, legalising the practice of the Catholic faith again, Pope Pius IX re-established the Catholic Church diocesan hierarchy on 29 September 1850 by issuing the bull Universalis Ecclesiae. The Hierarchy in Scotland was restored in 1878.

The names of the Catholic dioceses as re-established did not adopt the names of the then existing medieval dioceses, once Catholic and now (in England) Anglican. Three current English Catholic dioceses, those of Leeds, Liverpool, and Portsmouth, share their territorial name with Anglican dioceses, the Anglican Diocese of Leeds, the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, and the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth respectively. However, in these cases the dioceses cover differing areas and the Anglican diocese was set up later than the Catholic one.

The Catholic Church in Scotland comprises two Latin ecclesiastical provinces each headed by a Metropolitan archbishop. In addition to the archbishop and his see, each province in turn contains a number of "suffragan" dioceses, each headed by a bishop. In Scotland there are a total of 6 such suffragan dioceses, making overall eight dioceses when the 2 archdioceses are included.

There is an Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain which is the institutional papal diplomatic representation at full embassy level to the British authorities. The "ambassador", who in fact carries the centuries-old title of "nuncio", has relations with the government of the United Kingdom, and in a different mode with the Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland. He has no dealings with the government of the Irish Republic nor with the Catholic bishops in any part of Ireland. A fellow nuncio, resident in Dublin, is a diplomat accredited to the Irish government and also has dealings with the Irish Catholic bishops both north and south of the border. Other Commonwealth territories are covered by a variety of analogous papal representatives, quite independently of the nuncio in London.

Current Latin provinces and sees in Great Britain

Episcopal Conference of England and Wales

Ecclesiastical province of Birmingham (founded 1911)

Diocese Cathedral Founded
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Birmingham St Chad's Cathedral 1850
Diocese of Clifton Clifton Cathedral 1850
Diocese of Shrewsbury Shrewsbury Cathedral 1850
Diocese
Diocese
Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Birmingham

Ecclesiastical province of Cardiff (founded 1916)

Diocese Cathedral Founded
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cardiff (heir of former Diocese of Newport founded 1850 ) Cardiff Cathedral 1916
Diocese of Menevia Swansea Cathedral 1898[2]
Diocese of Wrexham Wrexham Cathedral 1987
Diocese
Diocese
Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Cardiff

Ecclesiastical province of Liverpool (founded 1911)

Diocese Cathedral Founded
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Liverpool Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral 1850
Diocese of Hallam Cathedral Church of St Marie 1980[3]
Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle St Mary's Cathedral 1850
Diocese of Lancaster Lancaster Cathedral 1924
Diocese of Leeds Leeds Cathedral 1878
Diocese of Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Cathedral 1878
Diocese of Salford Salford Cathedral 1850
Diocese
Diocese
Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Liverpool

Ecclesiastical province of Southwark (founded 1965)

Diocese Cathedral Founded
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Southwark St George's Cathedral 1851
Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Arundel Cathedral 1965[4]
Diocese of Plymouth Plymouth Cathedral 1850[5]
Diocese of Portsmouth Cathedral of St John the Evangelist 1882
Diocese
Diocese
Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Southwark. The Channel Islands are not shown; they are part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.

Ecclesiastical province of Westminster (founded 1850)

Diocese Cathedral Founded
Metropolitan Diocese of Westminster Westminster Cathedral 1850
Diocese of Brentwood Brentwood Cathedral 1917[6]
Diocese of East Anglia St John the Baptist Cathedral 1976[7]
Diocese of Northampton Northampton Cathedral 1850
Diocese of Nottingham Nottingham Cathedral 1850[8]
Diocese
Diocese
Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Westminster

Episcopal conference of Scotland

Map of dioceses in Scotland

Ecclesiastical province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh

Ecclesiastical province of Glasgow

Eastern Catholic and other exempt

The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous, self-governing particular churches in full communion with the Pope.

Defunct jurisdictions

See also

Scotland

References

  1. ↑ "Westminster". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Menevia". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Hallam". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Arundel and Brighton". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Plymouth". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Brentwood". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "East Anglia". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Nottingham". The Catholic Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Note: The Latin title of Anglicanorum Coetibus means "Groups of Anglicans".
Scotland
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