Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer

Diocese of Speyer Dioecesis Spirensis
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.

History

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.

Administration

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:

Speyer Cathedral

References

Coordinates: 49°19′02″N 8°26′33″E / 49.3171°N 8.4424°E / 49.3171; 8.4424