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Diocese of Fulda

Diocese of Fulda
Dioecesis Fuldensis
Bistum Fulda
Catedral de Fulda.jpg
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Fulda
Coat of arms
Location
Country Germany
Ecclesiastical province Paderborn
Metropolitan Paderborn
Deaneries 10
Subdivisions 43 pastoral areas
Statistics
Area 10,318 km2 (3,984 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 31 December 2014)
1,688,351
397,227 (23.5%)
Parishes 299
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 5 October 1752
Cathedral Fulda Cathedral
Patron saint Saint Boniface main patron
Saint Elisabeth second patron
Secular priests 271
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Heinz Josef Algermissen
Auxiliary Bishops Karlheinz Diez
Vicar General Gerhard Stanke
Emeritus Bishops Johannes Kapp (Auxiliary Bishop)
Map
Current extent of the Diocese
Current extent of the Diocese
Website
bistum-fulda.de

The Diocese of Fulda (Latin Dioecesis Fuldensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the north of the German state of Hessen. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Paderborn. The bishop's seat is in Fulda Cathedral.

The history of the Diocese of Fulda goes back to the founding of a monastery by Saint Boniface in 744. Boniface named Saint Sturm the abbot of the monastery.

On 4 November 751, Pope Zachary decreed that the monastery would not be under the control of any diocese but rather directly under the Pope. This special relationship with Rome is illustrated still today in the statue of Saint Peter that stands in the Cathedral. Because Boniface's expressly requested that his body be taken to Fulda after his death (rather than to Mainz or Utrecht), the area became a popular destination for pilgrims. Boniface, along with Sturm, were named the patron saints of the monastery and later of the diocese.

Through gifts and donations, the monastery's influence grew ever stronger in the following centuries. Under Rabanus Maurus in the 9th century, the monastery became the scientific center of the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1220, the abbey was elevated to an abbey-principality by Frederick II. In 1571, Jesuits settled in Fulda and made a considerable contribution to the efforts of the Counter-Reformation.


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