Diocese of Rome

Diocese of Rome

Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana

Diocesi di Roma
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Rome
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Rome
Location
CountryItaly, Vatican City
Territory
Ecclesiastical province
MetropolitanRome
Coordinates41°53′9.26″N 12°30′22.16″E / 41.8859056°N 12.5061556°E / 41.8859056; 12.5061556
Statistics
Area881 km2 (340 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2013)
Steady2,885,272
Steady2,365,923 (Steady82%)
Parishes334
Churches711
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established1st century
CathedralArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran
Patron saint
Secular priests1,589
Current leadership
GovernanceHoly See
BishopPope Francis
Auxiliary Bishops
Bishops emeritus
Website
diocesidiroma.it
Source: Annuario Pontificio 2012

The Diocese of Rome (Latin: Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana;[2] Italian: Diocesi di Roma), also called the Vicariate of Rome,[3] is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. As the Holy See, the papacy is a sovereign entity with diplomatic relations,[4] and civil jurisdiction over the Vatican City State located geographically within Rome. The Diocese of Rome is the metropolitan diocese of the province of Rome, an ecclesiastical province in Italy. According to Catholic tradition, the first bishop of Rome was Saint Peter in the first century.[5][6][7] The incumbent since 13 March 2013 is Pope Francis.

Historically, many Rome-born men, as well as others born elsewhere on the Italian Peninsula have served as bishops of Rome. Since 1900, however, there has been only one Rome-born bishop of Rome, Pius XII (1939–1958). In addition, throughout history non-Italians have served as bishops of Rome, beginning with the first of them according to Catholic tradition, Saint Peter.

It is the metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman ecclesiastical province and primatial see of Italy. The cathedral is the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. The primate of Italy is the pope, holding primacy of honor over the Italian sees and also primacy of jurisdiction over all other episcopal sees by Catholic tradition.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 07.03.2015" [Resignations and Appointments, 07.03.2015] (Press release) (in Italian). 7 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  2. ^ Annuario Pontificio 2012, p. 1
  3. ^ Cernuzio, Salvatore (6 January 2023). "Pope Francis reorganises Vicariate of Rome to be more collegial". Vatican News. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia article: Rome Archived 26 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Hinds, K., Everyday Life in the Renaissance, p242
  6. ^ Jones, B., Dictionary of World Biography, p666
  7. ^ Werner, S.A., The Handy Christianity Answer Book, p173