Diocese of Saint-Flour Dioecesis Sancti Flori Diocèse de Saint-Flour | |
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| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Ecclesiastical province | Clermont |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Clermont |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 5,726 km2 (2,211 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2022) 143,143 (est.) 125,000 (est.) (87.3%) |
| Parishes | 20 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 20 February 1317 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St Peter and St Flour in Saint-Flour, Cantal |
| Patron saint | Saint Flour of Lodeve |
| Secular priests | 44 (diocesan) 6 (Religious Orders) 9 Permanent Deacons (2020) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Didier Noblot |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | François Kalist |
| Bishops emeritus | Bruno Grua |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese of Saint-Flour | |
The Diocese of Saint-Flour (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Flori; French: Diocèse de Saint-Flour) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Cantal. Erected in 1317, the diocese was suffragan of (subject to) the Archdiocese of Bourges until 2002. With the general reorganization of the structure of the French church by Pope John Paul II, Saint-Flour became the suffragan of the Archdiocese of Clermont. The seat of the bishop is located in Saint-Flour, Cantal.
The current bishop is Bruno Grua, who was appointed in March 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. Like many French bishops, he was compelled to face the problem created by the dwindling number of priests in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1970 in Saint-Flour there were 264 priests; in 2010 there were 85.[1] The number of parishes was 161 in 2010, and half did not have a full-time priest.[2] Bishop Grua therefore reorganized the parish structure, reducing the number of parishes from 161 to 32 to ensure that every Catholic had a priest who was responsible for his/her spiritual needs. In 2014 there was one priest for every 1,914 Catholics. In 2017 there was one priest for every 2,553 Catholics.
- ^ Annuario Pontificio 1971 and 2011, quoted by David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy: Diocese of Saint-Flour, retrieved: 2016-12-08.
- ^ Compare the statistics for ca. 1920, printed in the article "Saint-Flour" in: The Catholic Encyclopedia: Supplement 1 (c1922). New York: Encyclopedia Press. 1922. p. 654. There were 314 parishes and 486 secular priests. The major seminary had 45 seminarians, and the minor seminary 60.