DIOCESE
DIOCESE
this belonged to the provincial synod ; the Council of
Carthage, in 407, demanded moreover the consent of
the primate and of the bishop of the diocese to be di-
vided (canons iv and v). The consent of the pope or
the emperor was not called tor. In 446, however, Pope
Leo I ruled that dioceses should not be established ex-
cept in large towns and populous centres ( c. 4, Dist.
Ix.xx). In the same period the Apostolic See was
active in the creation of dioceses in the Burgundian
kingdom and in Italy. In the latter country many of
the sees had no other metropolitan than the pope, and
were thus more closely related to him. Even clearer
is his role in the formation of the diocesan system in
the northern countries newly converted to Christian-
ity. After the first successes of St. Augustine in Eng-
land, Gregory the Great provided for the establish-
ment of two metropolitan sees, each of which included
two dioceses. In Ireland, the diocesan system was
introduced by St. Patrick, though the diocesan terri-
tory was usually coextensive with the tribal lands,
and the system itself was soon peculiarly modified by
the general extension of monastieism (see Ireland).
In Scotland, howe\'er, the diocesan organization dates
only from the twelfth century. To the Apostolic See
also was due the establishment of dioceses in that part
of Germany which had been evangelized by St. Boni-
face. In the Frankish Empim the boundaries of the
dioceses followed the earlier Gallo-Roman municipal
system, though the Merovingian kings never hesitated
to change them by royal authority and without pontif-
ical intervention. In the creation of new dioceses no
mention is made of papal authority. The Carlovin-
gian kings and their successors, the Western emperors,
notably the Ottos (936-1002), sought papal authority
for the creation of new dioceses. Since the eleventh
century it has been the rule that the establishment of
new dioceses is peculiarly a right of the .\postolic See.
St. Peter Daraian proclaimed (1059-60) this as a gen-
eral principle (e. 1, Dist. xxii), and the same is af-
firmed in the well-known "Dictatus" of Gregory VII
(1073-1085). The papal decretals (see Decretals,
P.apal) consider the creation of a new diocese as one of
the causce majores, i. e. matters of special importance,
reserved to the pope alone (c. 1, X, De translatione
episcopi, I, 7; c. 1, X, De officio legati, I, 30) and of
which he is the sole judge (c. 5, Extrav. communes,
De priebendis et dignitatibus. III, 2). A word of men-
tion is here tlue to the missionary or regionary bishops,
episcopi genlium, episcopi {archiepiscopi) in gentibus,
still found in the eleventh century. They had no
fixed territory or diocese, but were sent into a country
or district for the purpose of evangelizing it. Such
were St. Boniface in Germany, St. Augustine in Eng-
land, and St. Willibrord in the Netherlands. They
were themselves the organizers of tlie diocese, after
their apostolic labours had produced happy results.
The bishops met with in some monasteries of Gaul in
the earlier Middle Ages, probably in imitation of Irish
conditions, had no administrative functions (see
Bellesheim, Gesch. d. kath. Kirche in Irland, I, 226-
30, and Loning, below).
III. Creation and Modification of Dioceses. — We have noticed above that after the eleventh century the sovereign pontiff reserved to himself the creation of dioceses. In the actual discipline, as already stated, all that touches the diocese is a causa 7najor, i. e. one of those important matters in which the bish- op possesses no authority whatever and which the pope reser\'es exclusively to himself. Since the epis- copate is of Divine institution, the pope is obliged to establish dioceses in the Catholic Church, but he re- mains sole judge of the time and manner, and alone determines what flock shall be entrusted to each bishop. Generally spe.aking, the diocese is a terri- torial circumscription, but sometimes the bishop pos- sesses authority only over certain classes of persons re- siding in the territory; this is principally the case in
districts where both the Western and the Eastern
Rite are followed. Whatever, therefore, pertains to
the creation or suppression of dioceses, changes in
their boundaries, and the like is within the pope's ex-
clusive province. As a general rule, the preparatory
work is done by the Congregation of the Consistorj',
by Propaganda \vhen the question relates to terri-
tories subject to this congregation, and by the Con-
gregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs when
the establishment of a diocese is governed by con-
cordats (q. v.), or when the civil power of the country
has the right to intervene in their creation. We shall
take up successively (1) the creation of new dioceses;
(2) the various modifications to which they are sub-
ject, included by canonists under the term Innovatio.
(1) Creation of Dioceses. — Strictly speaking, it is only in missionary countries that there can be question of the creation of a diocese, either because the country was never converted to Christianity or because its an- cient hierarchy was suppressed, owing to conquest by infidels or the progress of heresy. Regularly, before becoming a diocese, the territory is successively a mis- sion, a prefecture Apostolic, and finally a vicariate Apostolic. The C'ongregation of Propaganda makes a preliminary study of the question and passes judg- ment on the opportuneness of the creation of the dio- cese in question. It considers principally whether the number of Catholics, priests, and religious establish- ments, i. e. churches, chapels, schools, is sufficiently large to justify the establishment of the proposed dio- cese. These matters form the subject of a report to Propaganda, to which must be added the number of towns or settlements included in the territory. If there is a city suitable for the episcopal see, the fact is stated, also the financial resources at the disposal of the bishop for the works of religion. There is added, finall}', a sketch, if possible accompanied by a map, in- dicating the territory of the future diocese. As a gen- eral rule, a diocese should not include districts whose inhabitants speak different languages or are subject to distinct civil powers (see Instructions of Propa- ganda, 1798, in Collectanea S. C. de P. F., Rome, 1907, no. 645). Moreover, the general conditions for the creation of a diocese are the same as those required for dividing or "dismembering" a diocese. Of this we shall speak below.
(2) Modificaiion {Innovalio) of Dioceses. — Under this head come the division (dismcmhratio) of dioceses, their union, suppression, and changes of their respec- tive limits.
(a) Division or Dismemberment of a Diocese. — This is reserved to the Holy See. Since the pope is the supreme power in the Church, he is not bound to act in conformity with the canonical enactments which regulate the dismemberment of ecclesiastical bene- fices. The following rules, however, are those which he generally observes, though he is free to deviate from them. — First, to divide a diocese, a sufficient rea- son must exist (causa justa). The necessity, or at least the utility, of the division must be demon- strated. There is sufficient reason for the subdivi- sion of a diocese if it be too extensive, or the number of the faithful too great, or the means of communication too difficult, to permit the bishop to administer the diocese properly. The benefit w^hich would result to religion (incrementum cidtus divini) may also be brought forward as a reason for the change. In the main, these reasons are summed up in the one: the hope of forwarding the interests of Catholicism. Dis- sensions between inhabitants of the same diocese, or the fact that they belong to different nations, may also be considered a sufficient reason. Formerly, the mere fact that the endowment of a diocese was very large — a ease somewhat rare at the present day — formed a legitimate reason for its division.
The second condition is suitability of place (locus congruus). There should exist in the diocese to be ere-
