TheCatholic dioceses in Great Britain are organised by two separate hierarchies: theCatholic Church in England and Wales, and theCatholic Church in Scotland. WithinGreat Britain, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has fiveprovinces, subdivided into 21dioceses, and the Catholic Church in Scotland has two provinces, subdivided into 8 dioceses. The Catholic dioceses inNorthern Ireland are organised together with those in theRepublic of Ireland, as the Catholic Church in Ireland was not divided whencivil authority in Ireland was partitioned in 1921.
Adiocese, also sometimes known popularly as a bishopric, is an administrative unit under the supervision of abishop. TheDiocese of Westminster is considered themother church of English and Welsh Catholics,[1] and although not formally aprimate, theArchbishop of Westminster is usually elected President of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, providing a degree of a formal direction for the other English bishops and archbishops.
From the time of theEnglish 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 severalapostolic vicars, clergymen in episcopal orders, governing a territory not in their own name, as diocesan bishops do, but provisionally in the name of thePope. However, with the passing of theRoman Catholic Relief Act 1829,[clarification needed] 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 bullUniversalis 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. Four current English Catholic dioceses, those of Leeds, Liverpool, Southwark and Portsmouth, share their territorial name withAnglican dioceses, theAnglican Diocese of Leeds, theAnglican Diocese of Liverpool, theAnglican Diocese of Southwark and theAnglican 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.
TheCatholic Church in Scotland comprises two Latinecclesiastical provinces each headed by aMetropolitan archbishop. In addition to the archbishop and his see, each province in turn contains a number of "suffragan" dioceses, each headed by abishop. In Scotland there are a total of 6 such suffragandioceses, making overall eight dioceses when the 2archdioceses are included.
There is anApostolic 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.
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| Part of aseries on the |
| Catholic Church in England and Wales |
|---|
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| Organisation |
| History |
| Associations |
| Diocese | Cathedral | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| MetropolitanArchdiocese of Birmingham | St Chad's Cathedral | 1850 |
| Diocese of Clifton | Clifton Cathedral | |
| Diocese of Shrewsbury | Shrewsbury Cathedral | |
 | ||
| Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Birmingham | ||
| Diocese | Cathedral | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| MetropolitanArchdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia (heir of former Archdiocese of Cardiff founded 1916 (in turn from Diocese of Newport founded 1850), andDiocese of Menevia founded in 1898)[2] | Cardiff Cathedral Swansea Cathedral (former Menevia) | 2024[3] |
| Diocese of Wrexham | Wrexham Cathedral | 1987 |
 | ||
| Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Cardiff | ||
| Diocese | Cathedral | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| MetropolitanArchdiocese of Liverpool | Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral | 1850 |
| Diocese of Hallam | Cathedral Church of St Marie | 1980[4] |
| 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 | |
| Diocese of Salford | Salford Cathedral | 1850 |
 | ||
| Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Liverpool | ||
| Diocese | Cathedral | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| MetropolitanArchdiocese of Southwark | St George's Cathedral | 1851 |
| Diocese of Arundel and Brighton | Arundel Cathedral | 1965[5] |
| Diocese of Plymouth | Plymouth Cathedral | 1850[6] |
| Diocese of Portsmouth | Cathedral of St John the Evangelist | 1882 |
 | ||
| Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Southwark. TheChannel Islands are not shown; they are part of the Diocese of Portsmouth. | ||
| Diocese | Cathedral | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| MetropolitanDiocese of Westminster | Westminster Cathedral | 1850 |
| Diocese of Brentwood | Brentwood Cathedral | 1917[7] |
| Diocese of East Anglia | St John the Baptist Cathedral | 1976[8] |
| Diocese of Northampton | Northampton Cathedral | 1850 |
| Diocese of Nottingham | Nottingham Cathedral | 1850[9] |
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| Map of the Ecclesiastical province of Westminster | ||
TheEastern Catholic Churches are autonomous,self-governing particular churches in full communion with thePope.
