Diocese
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In
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated in a larger unit, the diocese (Latin dioecesis, from the Greek term διοίκησις, meaning "administration").[2]
Modern usage of 'diocese' tends to refer to the sphere of a bishop's jurisdiction. This became commonplace during the self-conscious "classicizing" structural evolution of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, but this usage had itself been evolving from the much earlier parochia ("parish"; Late Latin derived from the Greek παροικία paroikia), dating from the increasingly formalized Christian authority structure in the 4th century.[7]
Archdiocese
Dioceses ruled by an
The term "archdiocese" is not found in
Catholic Church
The Canon Law of the Catholic Church defines a diocese as "a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a bishop for him to shepherd with the cooperation of the presbyterium, so that, adhering to its pastor and gathered by him in the Holy Spirit through the gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes a particular church in which the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative."[9]
Also known as particular churches or local churches, dioceses are under the authority of a bishop. They are described as ecclesiastical districts defined by geographical territory. Dioceses are often grouped by the Holy See into ecclesiastical provinces for greater cooperation and common action among regional dioceses. Within an ecclesiastical province, one diocese can be designated an "archdiocese" or "metropolitan archdiocese", establishing centrality within an ecclesiastical province and denoting a higher rank. Archdioceses are often chosen based on their population and historical significance. All dioceses and archdioceses, and their respective bishops or archbishops, are distinct and autonomous. An archdiocese has limited responsibilities within the same ecclesiastical province assigned to it by the Holy See.[10]
As of April 2020[update], in the
In the Eastern Catholic Churches that are in communion with the Pope, the equivalent entity is called an eparchy or "archeparchy", with an "eparch" or "archeparch" serving as the ordinary.[11]
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church calls dioceses episkopies (from the Greek ἐπισκοπή) in the Greek tradition and eparchies (from ἐπαρχία) in the Slavic tradition.[citation needed]
Church of England and Anglican Communion
After the English Reformation, the Church of England retained the existing diocesan structure which remains throughout the Anglican Communion. The one change is that the areas administered under the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York are properly referred to as dioceses, not archdioceses: they are the metropolitan bishops of their respective provinces and bishops of their own diocese and have the position of archbishop.
The
Lutheranism
Certain
From about the 13th century until the
Some American Lutheran church bodies such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have a bishop acting as the head of the synod,[15] but the synod does not have dioceses and archdioceses as the churches listed above. Rather, it is divided into a middle judicatory.[16]
The Lutheran Church - International, based in Springfield, Illinois, presently uses a traditional diocesan structure, with four dioceses in North America. Its current president is Archbishop Robert W. Hotes.[17]
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) has dioceses throughout the United States. In the COGIC, most states are divided into at least three or more dioceses that are each led by a bishop (sometimes called a "state bishop"); some states have as many as ten dioceses. These dioceses are called "jurisdictions" within COGIC.[18][19]
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term "bishopric" is used to describe the bishop together with his two counselors, not the ward or congregation of which a bishop has charge.
Churches that have bishops, but not dioceses
In the United Methodist Church (the United States and some other countries), a bishop is given oversight over a geographical area called an episcopal area. Each episcopal area contains one or more annual conferences, which is how the churches and clergy under the bishop's supervision are organized. Thus, the use of the term "diocese" referring to geography is the most equivalent in the United Methodist Church, whereas each annual conference is part of one episcopal area (though that area may contain more than one conference). The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a similar structure to the United Methodist Church, also using the Episcopal Area. The bishops govern the church as a single bench.[citation needed]
In the
Churches that have neither bishops nor dioceses
Many churches worldwide have neither bishops nor dioceses. Most of these churches are descended from the
Presbyterian churches derive their name from the presbyterian form of church government, which is governed by representative assemblies of elders. The Church of Scotland is governed solely through presbyteries, at parish and regional level, and therefore has no dioceses or bishops.[20]
Churches of Christ, being strictly non-denominational, are governed solely at the congregational level.
Most
See also
- Church of England § Structure
- Global organization of the Catholic Church
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
- Notitia Dignitatum
- Particular church
- Personal ordinariate
- Methodist Church Ghana
References
- ^ Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 1989
- ISBN 9781587686207.
- ^ Bright, William (1860). A History of the Church, from the Edict of Milan, A.D. 313, to the Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451. J.H. and Jas. Parker. p. 4.
- SSRN 2938800.
- ISBN 0-8018-3285-3
- ^ Eagles, Bruce (2004). "Britons and Saxons on the Eastern Boundary of the Civitas Durotrigum". Britannia. Vol. 35. p. 234., noting for instance Wightman, E.M. (1985). Gallia Belgica. London. p. 26.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 279.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Archdiocese". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Catholic Church (1983). "Can. 369". Code of Canon Law.
- ^ CCCB. "Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions: Dioceses". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12.
- Edmonton, Alberta: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ p. 1
- ^ Adam of Bremen, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum Archived 2005-02-07 at the Wayback Machine, online text in Latin; scholia 94.
- ^ see List of Lutheran dioceses and archdioceses.
- ^ Office of the Presiding Bishop on ELCA.org. Retrieved 2010-16-04.
- ^ LERNing newsletter from July 2005 Archived 2009-12-16 at the Wayback Machine at ELCA.org. Retrieved 2010-16-04.
- ^ International, Lutheran Church. "Welcome to Lutheran Church International". Lutheran Church International.
- ^ "Board of Bishops". Church Of God In Christ. Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
- ^ "The Executive Branch". Church Of God In Christ. Archived from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
- ^ Scotland, The Church of (2010-02-22). "Our structure". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ Pinson, William M. Jr. "Trends in Baptist Polity". Baptist History and Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13.
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Sources and external links
- diocese (P708) (see uses)
- Complete list of Catholic dioceses worldwide by GCatholic.org
- Virtually complete list of current and historical Catholic dioceses worldwide
- Another such list, in English and Norwegian
- List of current Anglican/Episcopalian dioceses
- Indian Orthodox Church Diocese Portal
- Coats of Bishops and of Dioceses Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Ligação externa Diocese de Santo Anselmo – Brasil (archived 9 October 2011)