Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz

Diocese of Metz Dioecesis Metensis Diocèse de Metz
Metz Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country	France
Metropolitan	Exempt directly to the Holy See
Statistics
Area	6,226 km2 (2,404 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2013) 1,045,066 813,000 (77.8%)
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Cathedral	Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz
Patron saint	Saint Stephen
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Philippe Ballot
Bishops emeritus	Jean-Christophe Lagleize
Website
metz-catholique.fr

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Alsace
Rot un Wiss, traditional flag of Alsace
History Germania Superior (Pagus Alsatiae) (83–475) Alemanni (circa 213–496) Alamannia (3rd-century–911) Duchy of Alsace (circa 630–699) Treaty of Verdun (843) Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg (982–1803) County of Ferrette (11th-century–14th-century) Salm (1165−1793) Landgraviate of Alsace (1186–1646) Lower Alsace Upper Alsace Further Austria (13th-century–1648) Décapole (1354–1679) County of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1456–1736) Upper Rhenish Circle (1500–1679) Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine (1871–1918) Gau Baden-Elsaß (1940–1945) Alsace (1945–2016) Grand Est (2016–) European Collectivity of Alsace (2021-)
Culture Coat of arms Flag Anthem People Language Demographics Musée alsacien (Hagenau | Strasbourg)
Religion according to Concordat in Alsace-Moselle (1801): (including Lorraine) Catholic Church Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (Immediately subject to the Holy See) (Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg) (Lorraine: Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz) Protestantism: Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine: Lutheranism: Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine Calvinism: Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine Jewish consistories: Strasbourg Colmar (Lorraine: Metz)
Law Local law in Alsace-Moselle Concordat in Alsace-Moselle
Administrative divisions Capital: Strasbourg Bas-Rhin (Unterelsaß) Arrondissement of Haguenau-Wissembourg Arrondissement of Molsheim Arrondissement of Saverne Arrondissement of Sélestat-Erstein Arrondissement of Strasbourg Haut-Rhin (Oberelsaß) Arrondissement of Altkirch Arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé Arrondissement of Mulhouse Arrondissement of Thann-Guebwiller
Politics Regional Council of Alsace (1982–2015) Alsace independence movement Assembly of Alsace (2021-)
Alsace in the European Union European Parliament elections Constituency
Related topics Politics of France Politics of Germany Politics of the European Union
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Lorraine
Flag of Lorraine since the 13th century
History Mediomatrici & Leuci Gallia Belgica Lotharingia Duchy of Lorraine Duchy of Bar Three Bishoprics Lorraine and Barrois German Empire Lorraine department Third Reich Lorraine department Lorraine region Grand Est
Culture Coat of arms Flag Symbol People Languages Lorrain Lorraine Franconian Low Alemannic Demographics Musée lorrain
Religion Roman Catholicism: Diocese of Metz (Immediately subject to the Holy See) Diocese of Nancy Diocese of Saint-Dié Diocese of Verdun Protestantism: Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine (Moselle) Lutheranism: Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine (Moselle) Calvinism: Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (Moselle) United Protestant Church of France (rest of Lorraine) Jewish consistories: Metz (Moselle) Nancy (rest of Lorraine)
Law Local law in Alsace-Moselle Concordat in Alsace-Moselle (1801)
Administrative divisions Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) Capital: Nancy Arrondissement of Briey Arrondissement of Lunéville Arrondissement of Nancy Arrondissement of Toul Meuse (55) Capital: Bar-le-Duc Arrondissement of Bar-le-Duc Arrondissement of Commercy Arrondissement of Verdun Moselle (Lothringen, 57) Capital: Metz Arrondissement of Forbach-Boulay-Moselle Arrondissement of Metz Arrondissement of Sarrebourg-Château-Salins Arrondissement of Sarreguemines Arrondissement of Thionville Vosges (88) Capital: Épinal Arrondissement of Épinal Arrondissement of Neufchâteau Arrondissement of Saint-Dié
Lorraine in the EU European Parliament elections Constituency
Related topics Politics of France Politics of Germany Politics of the European Union
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The Diocese of Metz (Latin: Dioecesis Metensis; French: Diocèse de Metz) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. In the Middle Ages it was a prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire, a de facto independent state ruled by the prince-bishop who had the ex officio title of count. It was annexed to France by King Henry II in 1552; this was recognized by the Holy Roman Empire in the Peace of Westphalia of 1648. It formed part of the province of the Three Bishoprics. Since 1801 the Metz diocese has been a public-law corporation of cult (French: établissement public du culte). The diocese is presently exempt directly to the Holy See.

History

Metz was definitely a bishopric by 535, but may date from earlier than that.^[1] Metz's Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains is built on the site of a Roman basilica which is a likely location for one of the earliest Christian congregations of France.^[2]

Originally the diocese was under the metropolitan of Trier. After the French Revolution, the last prince bishop, Cardinal Louis de Montmorency-Laval (1761-1802) fled and the old organization of the diocese was broken up. With the Concordat of 1801 the diocese was re-established covering the departments of Moselle, Ardennes, and Forêts, and was put under the Archdiocese of Besançon. In 1817 the parts of the diocese which became Prussian territory were transferred to the Diocese of Trier. In 1871 the core areas of the diocese became part of Germany, and in 1874 Metz diocese, then reconfined to the borders of the new German Lorraine department became immediately subject to the Holy See. As of 1910 there were about 533,000 Catholics living in the diocese of Metz.^{[citation needed]}

When the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State was enacted, doing away with public-law religious corporations, this did not apply to the Metz diocese then being within Germany. After World War I it was returned to France, but the concordatory status has been preserved since as part of the Local law in Alsace-Moselle. In 1940, after the French defeat, it came under German occupation till 1944 when it became French again. Together with the Archdiocese of Strasbourg the bishop of the see is nominated by the French government according to the concordat of 1801. The concordat further provides for the clergy being paid by the government and Catholic pupils in public schools can receive religious instruction according to diocesan guide lines.^{[citation needed]}

Bishops

See also

• Catholic Church in France

References

External links

• Media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz at Wikimedia Commons
• Website of the diocese
• Catholic hierarchy ^{[self-published]}
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Metz" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

49°07′12″N 6°10′33″E / 49.1201°N 6.17591°E / 49.1201; 6.17591