Diocese of Sion
Sedunen(sis)
Diocese immediately subject to the Holy See · Latin Church · Sion, Switzerland
Latin Catholic diocese covering the canton of Valais in Switzerland, dating to the 4th century and immediately subject to the Holy See. It is the oldest bishopric in Switzerland and has been led by Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey since 2014.
The see
- Rank
- Diocese immediately subject to the Holy See
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 999
- Latin
- Sedunen(sis)
- Patron
- Saint Theodulus
- Annuario code
- 001003069
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 260,971
- Population
- 358,213
- Catholic share
- 72.9%
- Priests
- 152
- Catholics per priest
- 1,717
- Extent
- 5,589 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 47
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Bishop
- Jean-Marie Lovey
- Born
- 2 August 1950
- Birthplace
- Orsières
- Institute
- Canonici Regolari della Congregazione Ospitaliera del Gran San Bernardo (C.R.B.)
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Cathedrale Notre-Dame du Glarier stands in Sion, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
History
The oldest bishopric in Switzerland, and among the oldest north of the Alps, is the Diocese of Sion (Latin: Dioecesis Sedunensis, French: Diocèse de Sion, German: Bistum Sitten), a Latin Catholic territory in the canton of Valais. The story of the Bishops of Sion cannot be separated from that of the Abbey of St. Maurice or of Valais itself: the three histories are inextricably intertwined.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].