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:

Deanery City / County Dean
Bad Dürkheim Stadt Neustadt, Landkreis Bad Dürkheim Priest Michael Janson, Hassloch
Donnersberg Donnersbergkreis Priest Thomas Brenner, Gerbach
Germersheim Landkreis Germersheim Priest Monsignore Felix Hirsch, Bellheim
Kaiserslautern Stadt Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern (district) Priest Ewald Sonntag, Kaiserslautern-Erfenbach
Kusel Kusel (district) Priest Rudolf Schlenkrich, Kusel
Landau Stadt Landau, Landkreis Südliche Weinstraße Priest Klaus Ambrust, Landau
Ludwigshafen Stadt Ludwigshafen, Stadt Frankenthal, Northern part of Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis Priest Dr. Gerd Babelotzky, Ludwigshafen-Friesenheim
Pirmasens Stadt Pirmasens, Stadt Zweibrücken, Landkreis Südwestpfalz Priest Rudolf Banzer, Pirmasens
Saarpfalz Saarpfalz district Priest Karl Josef Lindemann, St. Ingbert
Speyer Stadt Speyer, Southern part of Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis Priest Peter Nirmaier, Schifferstadt

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

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