Diocese of Speyer Dioecesis Spirensis |
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Location | |
Country | Germany |
Ecclesiastical province | Bamberg |
Statistics | |
Area | 6,025 km2 (2,326 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2010) 1,307,678 616,485 (44.5%) |
Parishes | 346 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 4th Century |
Cathedral | Speyer Cathedral |
Patron saint | Mary, Mother of God |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop |
Karl-Heinz Wiesemann Bishop of Speyer |
Metropolitan Archbishop |
Ludwig Schick Archbishop of Bamberg |
Auxiliary Bishops | Otto Georgens |
Emeritus Bishops | Anton Schlembach |
Map | |
Website | |
bistum-speyer.de |
The Diocese of Speyer (lat. Dioecesis Spirensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in the South of the Rhineland-Palatinate and comprises also the Saarpfalz district in the east of the Saarland. The bishop's see is in the Palatinate city of Speyer.
The current bishop is Karl-Heinz Wiesemann. See also Bishop of Speyer for a list of previous bishops.
As of 31 December 2006, 44.5% of the population of the diocese was Catholic.
In a slightly different hierarchic structure it is one of the oldest Dioceses in Germany. A bishop of Speyer was first mentioned in a document in 346. Through grants by the Holy Roman Emperor, the prince-bishops of Speyer established themselves as worldly as well as spiritual rulers. The Diocese of Speyer in its current form was established within the borders of the former Rheinkreis, a district of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1817 after the secularization and division of the former bishopric in 1803.
The diocese is directed by bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann.
The diocese is structured in the following deaneries, with borders that are almost the same as the local county borders:
Coordinates: 49°19′02″N 8°26′33″E / 49.3171°N 8.4424°E