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Diocese of Sion

Sedunen(sis)

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 shareof the people living within its bounds
72.9%
Priests
152
Catholics per priest
1,717
Extent
5,589 km²
Catholics per km²
47

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.

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Sources

The see's own website · Wikipedia

Compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. Corrections: hello@catholicintelligence.com.