This article is about ecclesiastical dioceses. For the administrative unit in the Roman Empire, see
Roman diocese. In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit administrated by a
bishop, hence also referred to as a bishopric or
Episcopal Area (as in
United Methodism) or
episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. The diocese is the key unit of authority in the form of church governance known as
episcopal polity. In the
Roman Catholic Church, an important diocese is called an archdiocese (usually due to size, historical significance, or both), which is governed by an
Archbishop, who may in the Catholic hierarchy either be exempt from or have Metropolitan authority over the other ('suffragan') dioceses within a wider jurisdiction called
ecclesiastical province.
As of 2003, there are approximately 569 Roman Catholic archdioceses and 2014 dioceses. The Distract or churches under the jurisdiction of a bishop;a bishopric The
Orthodox Church calls its dioceses Metropolises.
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