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