Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth

Diocese of Portsmouth Dioecesis Portus Magni
Portsmouth cathedral
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Canterbury
Archdeaconries	Portsdown, The Meon, Isle of Wight
Statistics
Parishes	142
Churches	173
Information
Cathedral	Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury
Current leadership
Bishop	Christopher Foster, Bishop of Portsmouth
Archdeacons	Gavin Collins, Archdeacon of The Meon Peter Sutton, Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight Joanne Grenfell, Archdeacon of Portsdown
Website
portsmouth.anglican.org

The Diocese of Portsmouth is an administrative division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese covers south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The see is based in the City of Portsmouth in Hampshire, where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury.

The Diocese of Portsmouth was founded on 1 May 1927 by George V, from part of the Diocese of Winchester, the diocese consists of the three archdeaconries of:

The Bishop of Portsmouth leads the diocese (he is the only diocesan bishop in the Church of England not assisted by either a suffragan or stipendiary assistant bishop; the lapsed suffragan see of the Isle of Wight – created by the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 – is, however, within the diocese).

Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese which do not the ordination of women as priests) is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor, Norman Banks, Bishop suffragan of Richborough, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his ministry. There are also four former bishops living in the diocese who are licensed as honorary assistant bishops: