What Does “Diocese” Mean in the Bible?
The territory a bishop leads, with all its parishes.
It can mean
- “Archdiocese”: the main diocese of a region, led by an archbishop.
- The whole Church: in each diocese, united with the Pope, the whole Catholic Church is present.
Today
Every parish belongs to a diocese. On Holy Thursday the bishop consecrates the sacred chrism for his whole diocese.
Where it appears in the Bible
Acts 14:23
What the Bible says
Acts 14:23
And when they had ordained to them priests in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, in whom they believed.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catechism 833 and 1297; RAE, “diócesis”