Diocese of London

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St Paul's Cathedral (completed in 1708)
Coat of arms of the Diocese of London at the entrance to St Mary Woolnoth Church in the City of London

The Diocese of London (English Diocese of London ) is a diocese of the Anglican Church of England in the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury , which includes most of Greater London . Episcopal Church is St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London ; The current bishop since 2018 is Sarah Mullaly , the first woman in this office and third bishop in the Church of England .

history

The beginnings of the Diocese of London go back to Roman times : the Roman Londinium was probably the seat of a bishop from the beginning of late antiquity . The medieval chronicler Jocelyn von Furness names a number of Archbishops of London, starting with Thean , but which historians consider to be largely legendary. Only one bishop on the list, Restitutus , is historically documented by his participation in the Council of Arles in 314 . Through the migration of peoples the Archdiocese of London went under and was 604 by Augustine of Canterbury , the mellitus appointed Bishop of London, re-established. At this time, the first St Paul's Cathedral was built, initially made of wood. The project, supported by Pope Gregory I , to make London the seat of the archbishop, did not, however, prevail. After the death of Mellitus, the office of bishop was occupied by Anglo-Saxons , in 1044 Robert von Jumièges, the first Norman, was appointed bishop.

As a result of the Reformation , caused by the conflict between Henry VIII and the Pope, the diocese of London became Anglican. Like most clergymen in England, Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall and his successor John Stokesley reluctantly submitted to the royal act of supremacy . Under Maria I the diocese was briefly recatholicized, the Anglican Nicholas Ridley burned at the stake and replaced by the Catholic Edmund Bonner , who had the Protestants persecuted in blood. All the bishops of London have belonged to the Anglican Church of England since the Elizabethan Age . As a replacement for the lost bishoprics, the Catholic Church established the Apostolic Vicariate of England from 1622 , from which the present Archdiocese of Westminster emerged .

The areas opened up as part of the British colonization of America were originally under canon law of the Bishop of London, after the American Revolution this area was limited to the West Indies (today an independent Church in the Province of the West Indies ). Until 1980, the parishes of the Church of England in Northern and Central Europe were also administered by the Diocese of London ( Jurisdiction of North and Central Europe ), until this jurisdiction was merged with the Diocese of Gibraltar to form the Diocese in Europe in 1980 .

structure

Map of the Bishopric of London 1714

The diocese is 277 square miles (717 km²) and comprises the 17 boroughs City of London , Westminster , Brent , Harrow , Ealing , Hillingdon , Camden , Enfield , Haringey , Hackney , Islington , Tower Hamlets , Hounslow , Kensington & Chelsea , Hammersmith & Fulham , the majority (but not all) of Barnet , and half of Richmond-upon-Thames . This corresponds to Greater London north of the Thames and west of the Lea and thus the boundaries of the traditional county of Middlesex . In addition to parts of Greater London, the diocese also includes Spelthorne in Surrey , as the place used to belong to Middlesex.

Historically, the area of ​​the diocese was much larger, bordered to the north and west by Norwich and Lincoln . So also belonged Essex to the diocese until 1846 part of the Diocese of Rochester was.

Within the diocese there are around 500 parishes with around 1000 clergy and church workers, as well as 149 schools run by the church. The number of adult church members in the diocese rose from 45,000 in 1990 to 70,000 in 2009.

The diocese is divided into five episcopal areas ( episcopal areas ), which are headed by regional bishops , who are subordinate to the Bishop of London as suffragan bishops . The Episkopalbezirke turn in Archidiakonate ( archdeaconries ) and deaneries ( deaneries divided). The structure often corresponds to the Metropolitan Boroughs that existed until 1965 .

Episcopal District (responsible bishop) Archdeaconate Dean's office
Two Cities (London and Westminster)

(Bishop of London and Bishop of Fulham )

London City of London
Charing Cross Westminster Paddington
Westminster St Margaret
Westminster St Marylebone
Edmonton

( Bishop of Edmonton )

Hampstead Central Barnet
West Barnet
North Camden (Hampstead)
South Camden (St Pancras and Holborn)
Enfield
East Haringey
West Haringey
Kensington

( Bishop of Kensington )

Middlesex Hammersmith and Fulham
Hampton
Hounslow
Kensington
Chelsea
Spelthorns
Stepney

( Bishop of Stepney )

Hackney Hackney
Islington
Tower Hamlets
Willesden

( Bishop of Willesden )

Northolt Brent
Ealing
Harrow
Hillingdon

Bishop of London

The Bishop of London is ranked the third highest bishop of the Church of England by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York , and one of the five bishops who automatically her post as minister Lord ( Lord Spiritual ) a seat in the upper house received.

Because of his proximity to the royal family, the Bishop of London is known as the King's bishop . Since 1748 it has been customary for the British monarch to appoint him Dean of the Chapel Royal in order to transfer the royal chapels in London (actually independent under canon law) to the jurisdiction of the diocese.

The official bishop's residence in London is The Old Deanery, Dean's Court ; better known, however, is the former bishopric of Fulham Palace . In addition, there used to be the smaller London House in Aldersgate .

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