List of Catholic dioceses

Contents

As of June 21, 2024, the Catholic Church comprises 3,172 ecclesiastical jurisdictions worldwide, including over 652 archdioceses and 2,250 dioceses. It also includes various other jurisdictions such as apostolic vicariates, apostolic exarchates, apostolic administrations, apostolic prefectures, military ordinariates, personal ordinariates, personal prelatures, territorial prelatures, territorial abbacies, and missions sui juris.

In addition, there are 2,100 titular sees, encompassing bishoprics, archbishoprics, and metropolitanates.

This structural list outlines how each diocese is organized within its ecclesiastical province, under the framework of episcopal conferences, grouped by continent or region.

Map

Types of Catholic dioceses

This refers to Catholic dioceses in the world, of all Latin or Eastern churches, as of 5 October 2021.[1]

TypeTotalFilledVacant
Holy See: St. Peter's Chair in Rome (papacy)110
Ancient Patriarchal Sees of the East (Patriarchates)990
Major Archiepiscopal Sees (Major Archeparchies)440
Latin Patriarchal Sees330
Titular Patriarchal Sees431
Metropolitan Sees (Archdioceses & Eastern Archeparchies)56654422
Other Archiepiscopal Sees (Latin Archdioceses & Eastern Archeparchies)76706
Episcopal Sees (Latin Dioceses & Eastern Eparchies)2,2442,029215
Titular Metropolitan Sees including Archeparchies921478
Titular Archiepiscopal Sees including Archeparchies91685
Titular Episcopal Sees including Eparchies1,9131,059854
Territorial Prelatures40364
Territorial Abbacies (often Exempt)1192
Military Ordinariates (all Exempt)362412
Personal Prelature (exempt)110
Apostolic Vicariates (generally Exempt, mission)84759
Apostolic Prefectures (generally Exempt, mission)391425
Apostolic Administrations871
Independent Missions (Missions sui iuris)880

Additional types, exclusively for the Eastern Churches, Ordinariate Use and Extraordinary Form

TypeTotalFilledVacant
Metropolitan Sees (Eastern Archeparchies, Sui Juris)550
Apostolic Exarchates (Eastern mission, Exempt)13112
Ordinariates for the Faithful of the Eastern Churches (Eastern, Exempt)963
Personal Ordinariates (Western Anglican Patrimony, Anglican/Ordinariate Use, Exempt)330
Patriarchal Exarchates (Eastern missions)1082
Archiepiscopal Exarchates (Eastern)541
Territories Dependent on the Patriarch (Eastern)541
Personal Apostolic Administration (unique case, Exempt)110

Exempt Catholic Dioceses (directly subject to the Holy See)

These (arch)dioceses are exempt from belonging to any ecclesiastical province, hence only the Vatican can exert the authority and coordinating functions normally falling to the Metropolitan Archbishop. They are grouped here geographically. Nevertheless, most belong to an episcopal conference, in which case the more relevant mention is in its geographical region, as exempt dioceses as such do not have specific ties with each other.

  • Military ordinariates are in pastoral charge of the troops of a state, but may be vested in a Metropolitan Archbishop, typically in the national capital.
  • Also generally exempt are the apostolic prefectures and apostolic vicariates, which tend to be temporary missionary dioceses, expected to become part of an ecclesiastical province when promoted to regular (arch- or suffragan) bishopric.
  • The Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans (who left the Anglican Communion for communion with the Holy See) are allowed to use the Ordinariate Use, which is counted as a variant usage of the Roman Rite (unlike the Eastern churches' five distinct rites).
  • Eastern Ordinariates are in pastoral charge of all Eastern Churches, of only those of Byzantine Rite or even just of the Armenian Rite, in one or more states of various Catholic churches without any proper diocese there, but are usually vested in a Latin Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop, often in the capital.
  • Disregarded are many episcopal or archiepiscopal prelates in the Roman Curia, as their dicasteries don't constitute dioceses, although many posts there require by law or custom a bishop or an archbishop (usually titular), just as the Vatican's diplomatic posts in nearly every national capital.

Universal or transcontinental exempt dioceses (not counting minor dependencies)

European exempt dioceses

Asian exempt dioceses

New World exempt dioceses

African exempt dioceses

Europe (Latin and Eastern Churches)

There are also 'meetings of episcopal conferences' for the (arch)bishops from countries belonging to:

Exempt dioceses in European countries without ecclesiastical province or national conference

Episcopal Conference of Austria

Episcopal Conference of Belgium

Episcopal Conference of England and Wales (parts of the UK)

Episcopal Conference of France

(The ecclesiastical provinces' corresponding administrative regions are mentioned in parentheses) For overseas French dioceses, see under their continents and Episcopal conferences of Antilles (Central America) and Pacific (Oceania)

Episcopal Conference of Germany

Episcopal Conference of Ireland, i.e. the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Episcopal Conference of Italy, including San Marino and Vatican City

Episcopal Conference of Malta

Episcopal Conference of the Netherlands

Episcopal Conference of Portugal, incl. Azores and Madeira

Episcopal Conference of Scandinavia

Scandinavian Bishops Conference

Episcopal Conference of Scotland (part of UK)

Episcopal Conference of Spain (incl. African territories) and Andorra

Episcopal Conference of Switzerland

Swiss Bishops Conference

Episcopal Conference of Albania

Episcopal Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius - for North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

  • the exempt senior see: Archdiocese of Bar, directly subject to the Holy See
  • Diocese of Kotor, suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Croatian Metropolitan Archdiocese of Split–Makarska

Episcopal Conference of Belarus

Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria

Episcopal Conference of Croatia

Episcopal Conference of the Czech Republic

Episcopal Conference of Greece

Episcopal Conference of Hungary (Latin and Eastern Churches)

Episcopal Conference of Latvia

Episcopal Conference of Lithuania

Episcopal Conference of Poland

Episcopal Conference of Romania

Episcopal Conference of the Russian Federation

Episcopal Conference of Slovakia

Episcopal Conference of Slovenia

Episcopal Conference of Ukraine

North America (Latin and Eastern Churches)

Episcopal Conference of Canada

Episcopal Conference of Mexico

Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica

Episcopal Conference of El Salvador

Episcopal Conference of Guatemala

Episcopal Conference of Honduras

Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua

Episcopal Conference of Panama

Episcopal Conference of the (Lesser) Antilles (and Belize and Guyanas)

Episcopal Conference of Cuba

Episcopal Conference of the Dominican Republic

Episcopal Conference of Haiti

Episcopal Conference of Puerto Rico

Episcopal Conference of the United States of America

Note: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) divides the non-exempt dioceses of the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) into fourteen geographical regions—termed "Bishops' Regions" for the Latin Church provinces—and a fifteenth "region" that consists of the Eastern Catholic eparchies. These regions are not the canonical "ecclesiastical regions" described in canon 433 and 434, but are operated by an elected regional chairman.[2] However, the Ordinaries of Personal Ordinariates established under the auspices of Anglicanorum Coetibus are members of their respective Bishops’ Conferences, and the USCCB lists the exempt Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter as a part of Bishops’ Region X.

This is not a geographical region and it does not consist of ecclesiastical provinces. Instead, it consists exclusively of US branches of various, generally Europe- or Asia-based, particular Eastern Catholic Churches. See the Eastern Catholic Churches section (below) for their particular hierarchies.

Ecclesiastical province of the Ruthenian Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh

Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia

South America (Latin and Eastern Churches)

Episcopal Conference of Argentina

(Latin and Eastern Churches)

Ecclesiastical province of Paraná

Episcopal Conference of Bolivia

Episcopal Conference of Brazil

Episcopal Conference of Chile

Episcopal Conference of Colombia

Episcopal Conference of Ecuador

Episcopal Conference of Paraguay

Episcopal Conference of Peru

Episcopal Conference of Uruguay

Episcopal Conference of Venezuela

Asia (Latin and Eastern Churches)

Exempt dioceses or mission sui juris in Asian countries without episcopal conferences or ecclesiastical provinces

Episcopal conference of the Arab region Latin bishops (includes parts of North and Eastern Africa)

Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of Egypt

see Africa

Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (Palestine/Israel & Jordan)

Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of Iraq

Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of Lebanon

Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in Syria

Episcopal Conference of Iran

No ecclesiastical province, the Latin Church has only the exempt Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Teheran-Isfahan (1629), directly subject to the Holy See

The conference also includes Eastern Catholic bishops of two churches:

  • Chaldean Rite - four dioceses - archdioceses Ahvaz, Tehran (Metropolitan), Urmyā (Shahpur) and its sole suffragan, Salmas
  • Armenian Rite - diocese of Isfahan

Episcopal Conference of Kazakhstan

Episcopal Conference of Turkey

covering transcontinental Turkey, which is not comprised in any Latin ecclesiastical province

Episcopal Conference of Bangladesh

Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh

Episcopal Conference of Myanmar

Episcopal Conference of East Timor

Episcopal Conference of India, including Bhutan

The Episcopal Conference of India includes dioceses in the country of Bhutan. Includes various Eastern Church dioceses, notably Syro-Malankara (an Antiochian Rite) and Syro-Malabar (a Syro-Oriental Rite), either in Eastern provinces of their own particular churches, exempt or (some Syro-Malabar) as suffragans of Latin Catholic Metropolitan Archbishops in their mixed-rite ecclesiastical provinces, are italicized..

Episcopal Conference of Indonesia

Episcopal Conference of Laos and Cambodia

Episcopal Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei

Episcopal Conference of Pakistan

Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (P.C.B.C.)

Episcopal Conference of the Philippines

Episcopal Conference of Sri Lanka, including the Maldives

Episcopal Conference of Thailand

Episcopal Conference of Vietnam

Episcopal Conference of Vietnam (Hội đồng Giám mục Việt Nam), at Hồ Chí Minh City

Exempt without conference

Episcopal Conference of Taiwan (officially Chinese Regional Bishops Conference)

Episcopal Conference of China (PR, including Hong Kong; not including Taiwan)

Episcopal Conference of Japan

Episcopal Conference of Korea (North and South)

Oceania (Latin and Eastern Churches)

Episcopal Conference of Australia

Ecclesiastical Province of Perth, covering Western Australia

Ecclesiastical Province of Sydney, covering most of New South Wales

Other Eastern eparchies (dioceses)

Episcopal Conference of New Zealand

See under § Episcopal Conference of Australia for the Chaldean Catholic, Melkite and Ukrainian Catholic dioceses competent for both countries, with sees in Sydney, Melbourne.

Exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See

Ecclesiastical Province of Wellington

Episcopal Conference of the Pacific

  • An exempt diocese, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See:
  • For Ukrainian Catholics, see § Episcopal Conference of Australia, under Melbourne
  • The "United States Minor Outlying Islands" (U.S. Minor Islands), such as Wake, Midway, Johnston, which are Unincorporated Territories of the United States, are administered by the Archdiocese for the Military Services of the United States in Washington, D.C.
  • The Diocese of Honolulu (on and for Hawaii) is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical Province of San Francisco in California, U.S.

Ecclesiastical Province of Agaña

This province covers all of French Polynesia (French overseas collectivity) and the Pitcairn Islands (UK).

Episcopal Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands

Africa (Latin and Eastern Churches)

Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (S.E.C.A.M.)

Most national churches are also part of an episcopal conference and a regional (subcontinental) group of those, so we list them geographically:

Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of Egypt

  • Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria, actually in Cairo, Metropolitan Archbishop of the church's only ecclesiastical province sui juris covering Egypt (which has no other Catholic province), with these suffragan Eparchies:

Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (R.E.C.O.W.A.)

The West African subcontinent was previously covered by two language-distinct super-conferences:

Episcopal Conference of Nigeria

Episcopal Conference of Gambia and Sierra Leone

Episcopal Conference of Ghana

Episcopal Conference of Liberia

Ecclesiastical Conference of Benin

Ecclesiastical Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger

Episcopal Conference of Ivory Coast

Episcopal Conference of Guinea

Episcopal Conference of Mali

Episcopal Conference of Togo

Episcopal Conference of Senegal, Cape Verde, Mauritania and Guinée-Bissau

Episcopal Conference of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Neither country has or is part of any Latin Church province.

Eastern Alexandrian rite particular churches (Metropolitanates sui juris)

However, each country has an Alexandrian rite (like the Egyptian Copts, but in Geez language) Metropolitan particular church 'sui iuris', whose episcopates fully parttake in the joint Episcopal Conference, yet also has its own council of bishops

Episcopal Conference of Kenya

Episcopal Conference of Malawi

Episcopal Conference of Sudan & South Sudan

Episcopal Conference of Tanzania

Episcopal Conference of Uganda

Episcopal Conference of Zambia

(?only Latin dioceses) This subcontinent is still covered by two distinct super-conferences:

  • Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa, covering the three countries formerly under Belgian colonial administration: Congo, Burundi and Rwanda

Ecclesiastical Conference of Burundi

Episcopal Conference of the Congo (-Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, ex-Zaire)

Ecclesiastical Province of Kananga

Ecclesiastical Province of Kinshasa

Ecclesiastical Province of Kisangani

Ecclesiastical Province of Lubumbashi

Ecclesiastical Province of Mbandaka-Bikoro

Episcopal Conference of Rwanda

Ecclesiastical Province of Kigali, covering Rwanda

  • Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kigali
  • Association of Episcopal Conferences of the Central Africa Region, covering countries formerly under French or Spanish colonial administration

Ecclesiastical Conference of Cameroon

Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda

Ecclesiastical Province of Bertoua

Ecclesiastical Province of Douala

Ecclesiastical Province of Garoua

Ecclesiastical Province of Yaoundé

Episcopal Conference of the Central African Republic

Ecclesiastical Province of Bangui, covering the Central African republic

Episcopal Conference of Chad

Exempt, immediately subject to the Holy See

Ecclesiastical Province of N'Djamena

Episcopal Conference of the Congo (Brazzaville)

Ecclesiastical Province of Brazzaville

Ecclesiastical Province of Owando

Ecclesiastical Province of Pointe-Noire

Episcopal Conference of Equatorial Guinea

Ecclesiastical Province of Malabo

Episcopal Conference of Gabon

Exempt missionary circonscription, directly subject to the Holy See

Ecclesiastical Province of Libreville, covering the rest of Gabon

Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé e Principe

Exempt, directly subject to the Holy See

Ecclesiastical Province of Huambo

Ecclesiastical Province of Luanda

Ecclesiastical Province of Lubango

Ecclesiastical Province of Malanje

Ecclesiastical Province of Saurímo

Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean (minor African East coast island states)

Only exempt dioceses, each for a whole country (or two) without national conference, directly subject to the Holy See

Episcopal Conference of Lesotho

Ecclesiastical Province of Maseru

Episcopal Conference of Madagascar

Ecclesiastical Province of Antananarivo

Ecclesiastical Province of Antsiranana

Ecclesiastical Province of Toamasina

Ecclesiastical Province of Fianarantsoa

Ecclesiastical Province of Toliara

Episcopal Conference of Mozambique

Ecclesiastical Province of Beira

Ecclesiastical Province of Maputo

Ecclesiastical Province of Nampula

Episcopal Conference of Namibia

Ecclesiastical Province of Windhoek, covering Namibia

Episcopal Conference of South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini

covers the dioceses in the republic of South Africa, and two neighbouring countries whose only dioceses belong to its provinces Botswana and Eswatini

  • The wider Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (I.M.B.I.S.A.) also includes Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe

Exempt, immediately subject to the Holy See:

Ecclesiastical Province of Bloemfontein

Ecclesiastical Province of Cape Town

Ecclesiastical Province of Durban

Ecclesiastical Province of Johannesburg

Ecclesiastical Province of Pretoria

Episcopal Conference of Zimbabwe

Ecclesiastical Province of Bulawayo

Ecclesiastical Province of Harare

Eastern Catholic Churches by Rite

The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches retain many Orthodox traditions, even in the hierarchic terminology, such as calling dioceses Eparchies and archdioceses Archeparchies.

Their respective diocesan structures overlap with and are partially parallel to each other, to the Latin Church, often 'sharing' a see. In addition, exempt, mixed ordinariates for the Eastern churches without dioceses of their own are established in a few (European and Latin American) countries, directly subject to the Holy See.

They are presented grouped per ancient rite, or liturgical tradition. Following the name of each Church is given the nature of their ecclesiastical polity; for instance, whether it is headed by a Patriarch, a Major Archbishop, a Metropolitan Archbishop, or has no unified structure and is instead composed of jurisdictions each individually subject to the Holy See.

Exempt, joint ordinariates for all the Eastern faithful

Byzantine Rite churches

Exempt, joint Ordinariates or Administrations for the Byzantine Rites faithful

(Greek-)Melkite Catholic Church (Patriarchal)

In the Arab World and Africa, the church has dioceses in:

Throughout the rest of the world, the Melkite Catholic church has dioceses and exarchates for its diaspora in:

Furthermore, one of the Ordinaries is appointed Apostolic visitor for the countries without proper ordinariates in Western Europe, while in some countries the Melkite diaspora is served pastorally by an Ordinariate for Eastern Catholic faithful.

Romanian Greek Catholic Church (Major Archiepiscopal)

An ecclesiastical province sui juris, covering Romania:

Exempt, i.e. Immediately subject to the Holy See

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Major Archiepiscopal)

Exempt, immediately subject to the Holy See

Ukrainian provinces and Metropolitan dependencies

Polish province

European dioceses These eparchies are immediately dependent on the Major Archbishop, not part of his province:

Overseas provinces and Metropolitan dependencies

Overseas Eparchies, suffragans of Latin Church Metropolitan Archbishops

Hungarian Greek Catholic Church (Metropolitan)

A single ecclesiastical province sui juris

Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church (Metropolitan)

The more general adjective "Byzantine" is often used instead of "Ruthenian" in North America.

Although its origins are, as the name suggests, in Ruthenia, (now part of Slovakia and Ukraine) its sole exempt diocese (i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See), covers the Czech Republic while all other dioceses depend from the US-based Metropolitan head of the church:

There is a sole ecclesiastical province, the Metropolitanate sui juris, entirely within the United States – the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh:

A further directly dependent on the Metropolitan:

Slovak Greek Catholic Church (Metropolitan)

The Synod is the Council of the Slovak Church

Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia (no unified structure)

Italo-Albanian Catholic Church (no unified structure)

All these are entirely exempt, i.e. each directly subject to the Holy See:

Albanian Greek Catholic Church (Apostolic Administration)

Belarusian Greek Catholic Church (Apostolic Visitation)

Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church (Episcopal)

Greek Byzantine Catholic Church (no unified structure)

entirely exempt, i.e. each directly subject to the Holy See:

Macedonian Greek Catholic Church (Episcopal)

Russian Greek Catholic Church (no current formalised structure)

entirely exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See:

Alexandrian Rite churches

Coptic Catholic Church (Patriarchal)

Ethiopian Catholic Church (Metropolitan)

A single ecclesiastical province sui juris, covering Ethiopia (Synod styled Council of the Ethiopian Church)

Eritrean Catholic Church (Metropolitan)

A single ecclesiastical province sui juris, covering all and only Eritrea, which has no Latin Church diocese

West Syriac/Syro-Antiochene Rite churches

Maronite Catholic Church (Patriarchal)

Immediately subject to the Patriarch:

Subject to the Synod, partly exempt

The following are subject to the Synod in matters of Liturgical and Particular Law; otherwise they are exempt (i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See and its Roman Congregation for the Eastern Churches):

Suffragan Eparchies in the ecclesiastical provinces of Latin Metropolitan Archbishops

Both eparchies are in South America:

Eparchies suffragan to a Latin Metropolitan

Syriac Catholic Church (Patriarchal)

Exempt, directly subject to the Holy See

Patriarchal ecclesiastical province

Patriarchal exarchates

Other dioceses and archdioceses

None of these are Metropolitan; they are directly subject to the Patriarch (but not part of his province).

Nominal Metropolitans

These are without suffragans. Both are in Syria:

Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (Major Archiepiscopal)

Exempt, immediately subject to the Holy See:

Ecclesiastical Province of Trivandrum

Ecclesiastical Province of Tiruvalla

Immediately subject to the Synod of the Syro-Malankara Church

  • ‍–‍

Armenian Rite: Armenian Catholic Church (Patriarchal)

Exempt, directly subject to the Holy See

Patriarchal ecclesiastical province of Cilicia

The province was named after Ancient Cilicia, the part of Asia Minor (modern Turkey's Anatolia) where its see was originally located.

Other eparchies

These eparchies are immediately subject to the Patriarch of Cilicia, but not part of his province.

East Syriac / Syro-Oriental Rite churches

Chaldean Catholic Church (Patriarchal)

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Major Archiepiscopal)

Ecclesiastical Province of Eranakulam‑Angamaly

Ecclesiastical Province of Changanassery

Ecclesiastical Province of Faridabad

Ecclesiastical Province of Kalyan

Ecclesiastical Province of Shamshabad

Ecclesiastical Province of Tellicherry

Ecclesiastical Province of Thrissur

Ecclesiastical Province of Ujjain

Archdiocese of Kottayam

Exempt, immediately subject to the Holy See

Other and various types of Catholic sees and jurisdictions

References

  1. 1."Dioceses by Type".
  2. 2.Beal, John P.; Coriden, James A.; Green, Thomas J. (2000). New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law. Paulist Press. p. 571. ISBN 9780809140664. Retrieved 18 Jun 2015.