The

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in China comprises 152 Latin jurisdictions: * 21 ecclesiastical provinces (including one for Taiwan), consisting of 21 Metropolitan archdioceses and 100 suffragan dioceses * 29 Apostolic Prefectures * 1 exempt diocese, the

diocese of Macau The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau ( pt, 1=Diocese de Macau; ) is an exempt (i.e. an immediate subject of the Holy See and not part of any ecclesiastical province) Latin Rite diocese of the Catholic Church, in contrast with the Roman Catholic Di ...

* 1 Apostolic Administration, the

Apostolic Administration of Harbin The Apostolic Administration of Harbin (哈爾濱 or 中文) is a pre-diocesan Latin Catholic jurisdiction in Manchuria (northeast China). It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastical province) and its Roman ...

Furthermore, the

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

( Byzantine rite)

Russian Greek Catholic Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow,_Catholic_Church_in_Presnya.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception , abbreviation = , ty ...

has an exempt Apostolic exarchate for China in Harbin. There is an Apostolic Nunciature as papal diplomatic representation (embassy-level) to China, in Taipei, national capital of Taiwan, also charged with Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The Catholic Church recognizes the Republic of China as the sole government for all of China; nevertheless, it does not recognize all of its territorial claims. The term “China” has to be understood as including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan in its 1949 provincial boundaries and Mainland China as effectively controlled by the People's Republic of China. Due to the non-recognition of the People's Republic of China, however, the authority of the Taipei-based Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference is effectively limited to the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. The dioceses of Hong Kong (suffragan of Guangzhou) and Macao (exempt) do not belong to that conference. The dioceses of Mainland China take part in the Beijing-based Chinese Bishops Conference, which is not recognized by the Holy See.

Current Latin dioceses in Greater China

Note that the diocese of Hong Kong belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou, whereas the diocese of Macau is exempt. Also note that a small part of the diocese of Xiamen, the island of Kinmen, is administered by the Republic of China. At this moment, this part of the diocese is administered by the archdiocese of Taipei. In all of greater China, only one non-Latin jurisdiction exists: an apostolic exarchate of the

in Harbin. It has, however, been vacant since 1939. However, the Chinese government has its own division of the dioceses, which is not necessarily identical to that of the Holy See. For example, many dioceses have been merged, and the difference between archdioceses, dioceses, apostolic prefectures and apostolic administrations has been abolished. Thus, according to the Chinese government, Mainland China is divided into 104 jurisdictions, all dioceses. Originally, the ecclesiastical provinces were closely aligned with the civil provinces of China. However, the borders of most provinces have not been redrawn again for decades. As a general guideline, however, the ecclesiastical provinces largely correspond with the following civil provinces: The ecclesiastical jurisdictions in

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

and

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

are all exempt, though Macao is a diocese (the others are apostolic prefectures or apostolic administrations).

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

is also exempt, being administered by three apostolic prefectures, with the exception of some parts of

Mudanjiang Mudanjiang (; Manchu: ''Mudan bira''), alternately romanized as Mutankiang, is a prefecture-level city in the southeast part of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China. It was called ''Botankou'' under Japanese occupation. It serves as ...

, which belong to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yanji, which is located in Jilin province (Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang). In the Apostolic Constitution of 11 April 1946, all provinces are named by the name of the civil province as well as by the name of the archdiocese. The province of Suiyuan is described as the province of

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, and the province of Shenyang as the province of

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...

. However, these two names are not used anymore.

Current Latin provinces and dioceses in PR China incl. Hong Kong

Ecclesiastical Province of Anqing

The Ecclesiastical Province of Anqing roughly covers the territory of Anhui province. The archdiocese is located in Anqing, even though Hefei has been the provincial capital since the 1940s - in fact, no diocese is located in Hefei. Also, apart from the archdiocese and the two diocese, there is also one exempt jurisdiction, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Tunxi Tunxi District () is the central district of Huangshan City, Anhui Province, eastern People's Republic of China. It has a population of (2010) and an area of . Tunxi District has jurisdiction over four subdistricts and five towns. The most we ...

. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anqing 安慶 ** Diocese of Bengbu 蚌埠 ** Diocese of Wuhu 蕪湖

Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing

The territory of the Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing is largely equal to that of Hebei province, when including Beijing and Tianjin. An important exception was Chengde; however, in 2018, the diocese of Chengde was erected, a suffragan of the archdiocese of Beijing, covering the entire prefecture-level city of Chengde. Furthermore, Puyang and Xinxiang's Changyuan County (Henan province) belong to the diocese of Daming (Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing), whereas Handan's Linzhang County, She County and Wu'an (all located in Hebei) belong to the diocese of Weihui (Ecclesiastical Province of Kaifeng). Shandongs Ningjin County also belongs to the diocese of Jingxian. Parts of

Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao (; ) is a port city on the coast of China in northern Hebei. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, about east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Its population during the 2020 national ...

and

Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the south ...

do not belong to the Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing. Furthermore, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Yixian The Apostolic Prefecture of Yixian is a Latin Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction in the PR China, near Beijing and Baoding. History On 1929.05.25, the jurisdiction was established as Mission sui juris of Yixian 易縣 (中文) alias ...

has not yet been elevated to the rank of diocese, and as such is not yet part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing, but is still exempt. Furthermore, the Diocese of Xiwanzi belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Suiyuan (Inner Mongolia), even though its seat is located in Hebei province. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Beijing 北京 ** Diocese of Anguo 安國 ** Diocese of Baoding 保定 ** Diocese of Chengde 承德 ** Diocese of Daming 大名 ** Diocese of Jingxian 景縣 (also known as Hengshui) ** Diocese of Shunde 順得 ** Diocese of Tianjin 天津 ** Diocese of Xianxian 獻縣 (also known as Cangzhou) ** Diocese of Xuanhua 宣化 (also known as Zhangjiakou) ** Diocese of Yongnian 永年 ** Diocese of Yongping 永平 (also known as Tangshan) ** Diocese of Zhaoxian 趙縣 ** Diocese of Zhengding 正定

Ecclesiastical Province of Changsha

The Ecclesiastical Province of Changsha roughly covers the territory of Hunan province. In Hunan province, five exempt jurisdictions are also located: the

Apostolic Prefecture of Baoqing Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Lixian The Apostolic Prefecture of Lixian is Latin rite pre-diocesan jurisdiction of the Catholic Church with seat in Lixian ( Li County, Hunan), central China. It is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastical provin ...

, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Xiangtan Xiangtan () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Hunan province, south-central China. The hometowns of several founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including Chairman Mao Zedong, President Liu Shaoqi, and Marshal Peng Dehuai, ...

, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Yongzhou Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine ...

and the

Apostolic Prefecture of Yueyang The Apostolic Prefecture of Yueyang is Latin pre-diocesan jurisdiction of the Catholic Church with seat in Yueyang, Hunan province, central China. It is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastical province), and ...

. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Changsha 長沙 ** Diocese of Changde 常德 ** Diocese of Hengzhou 衡州 ** Diocese of Yuanling 沅陵

Ecclesiastical Province of Chongqing

The Ecclesiastical Province of Chongqing roughly corresponds to Sichuan and Chongqing (Chongqing was separated from Sichuan in 1997) and also covers Tibet, though the diocese serving Tibet, the diocese of Kangding, is located in Sichuan. All the dioceses are located in Sichuan, except for Chongqing and Wanxian, which are located in Chongqing. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Chongqing 重慶 ** Diocese of Chengdu 成都 ** Diocese of Jiading 嘉定 ** Diocese of Kangding 康定 ** Diocese of Ningyuan 甯遠 ** Diocese of Shunqing 順慶 ** Diocese of Suifu 敘府 ** Diocese of Wanxian 萬縣

Ecclesiastical Province of Fuzhou

The Ecclesiastical Province of Fuzhou roughly covers the territory of Fujian province. In Fujian province, two exempt jurisdictions are also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Jian'ou and the

Apostolic Prefecture of Shaowu Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

. Note that Kinmen belongs to the diocese of Xiamen, but is administered by the archdiocese of Taipei. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Fuzhou 福州 ** Diocese of Funing 福寧 ** Diocese of Tingzhou 汀州 ** Diocese of Xiamen 廈門

Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou

The Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou roughly covers Guangdong and Hong Kong. Nearby Macau and Hainan are both exempt: the

and the

Apostolic Prefecture of Hainan The Apostolic Prefecture of Hainan is a pre-diocesan missionary Latin jurisdiction of the Catholic Church covering the Chinese province of Hainan, which is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See and its missionary Roman Congregation fo ...

. Also, note that the diocese of Beihai is located in Guangxi. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guangzhou 廣州 ** Diocese of Beihai 北海 ** Diocese of Hong Kong 香港 ** Diocese of Jiangmen 江門 ** Diocese of Jiaying 嘉應 ** Diocese of Shantou 汕頭 ** Diocese of Shaozhou 韶州

Ecclesiastical Province of Guiyang

The Ecclesiastical Province of Guiyang roughly covers the territory of

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...

. In Guizhou province, one exempt jurisdiction is also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Shiqian. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guiyang 貴陽 ** Diocese of Nanlong 南龍

Ecclesiastical Province of Hangzhou

The Ecclesiastical Province of Hangzhou roughly covers the territory of

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hangzhou 杭州 ** Diocese of Lishui 麗水 ** Diocese of Ningbo 寧波 ** Diocese of Taizhou 台州 ** Diocese of Yongjia 永嘉

Ecclesiastical Province of Hankou

The Ecclesiastical Province of Hankou roughly corresponds with

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

. Hankou has been merged with Wuchang and Hanyang to form

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...

in 1927. Apart from the dioceses, two exempt jurisdictions exist, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Shashi :''See Shashi for namesakes'' Shashi () is a district within the main urban area of Jingzhou, Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is located on the left (northern) bank of the Yangtze River, between Yichang and Wuhan. History * Shas ...

and the Apostolic Prefecture of Suixian. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hankou 漢口 ** Diocese of Hanyang 漢陽 ** Diocese of Laohekou 老河口 ** Diocese of Puqi 蒲圻 ** Diocese of Qizhou 蘄州 ** Diocese of Shinan 施南 ** Diocese of Wuchang 武昌 ** Diocese of Xiangyang 襄陽 ** Diocese of Yichang 宜昌

Ecclesiastical Province of Jinan

Apart from the dioceses, Shandong province also has three apostolic prefectures: the

Apostolic Prefecture of Weihai The Apostolic Prefecture of Weihai is a Latin Catholic pre-diocesan jurisdiction based in the port city of Weihai, Shandong province, northeastern China. It is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See and its missionary Roman Congregatio ...

, the Apostolic Prefecture of Yiduxian (Qingzhou) and the

Apostolic Prefecture of Linqing Linqing () is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Liaocheng in western Shandong Province, China. Geography and climate It is located north-northwest of Liaocheng. The city is situated at the confluence ...

. However, even after taking this into account, the boundaries do not completely correspond with Shandong province. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Jinan 濟南 ** Diocese of Caozhou 曹州 ** Diocese of Qingdao 青島 ** Diocese of Yanggu 陽穀 ** Diocese of Yantai 煙台 ** Diocese of Yanzhou 兖州 ** Diocese of Yizhou 沂州 ** Diocese of Zhoucun 周村

Ecclesiastical Province of Kaifeng

The territory of the Ecclesiastical Province of Kaifeng is almost equal to that of Henan province. However,

Puyang Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei ...

and

Xinxiang Xinxiang ( ; postal: Sinsiang) is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to its southwest, Kaifeng to its southeast, Hebi and Anyang to its north, Jiaozuo to its west, and the ...

Changyuan County Changyuan () is a county-level city in the east of Henan province, China, bordering Shandong province to the east. Formerly under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xinxiang, since 1 January 2014 it has been directly administered ...

belong to the diocese of Daming (Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing), whereas Handan's Linzhang County, She County and

Wu'an Wu'an is a county-level city in the southwest of Hebei Province, China, bordering Shanxi Province to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Handan. History People's Republic In August 1949, Wu'an was one of thr ...

(all located in

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

) belong to the diocese of Weihui. Furthermore, the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang has not yet been elevated to the rank of diocese, and as such is not yet part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Kaifeng, but is still exempt. Note that the archdiocese is located in Kaifeng, and not in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan since 1954. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kaifeng 開封 ** Diocese of Guide 歸德 (also known as Shangqiu) ** Diocese of Luoyang 洛陽 ** Diocese of Nanyang 南陽 ** Diocese of Weihui 衛輝 (also known as Anyang) ** Diocese of Xinyang 信陽 ** Diocese of Zhengzhou 鄭州 ** Diocese of Zhumadian 駐馬店

Ecclesiastical Province of Kunming

The Ecclesiastical Province of Kunming roughly covers the territory of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

. In Yunnan province, one exempt jurisdiction is also located: the

Apostolic Prefecture of Zhaotong The Apostolic Prefecture of Zhaotong is an Apostolic Prefecture (Latin pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction, not entitled to a titular bishop), of the Catholic Church with seat in the city of Zhaotong, in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunn ...

. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kunming 昆明 ** Diocese of Dali 大理

Ecclesiastical Province of Lanzhou

The Ecclesiastical Province of Lanzhou roughly covers the territory of Gansu. Note that Xinjiang is covered by the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinjiang-Urumqi and Qinghai by the

Apostolic Prefecture of Xining The Apostolic Prefecture of Xining 西寧 is a Latin Catholic pre-diocesan jurisdiction in central China. It is exempt, i.e. depends directly on the Holy See and its missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. No statistics a ...

. Historically, both provinces were part of the Apostolic Vicariate (now Archdiocese) of Lanzhou. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lanzhou 蘭州 ** Diocese of Pingliang 平涼 ** Diocese of Qinzhou 秦州

Ecclesiastical Province of Nanchang

The Ecclesiastical Province of Nanchang roughly covers the territory of

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nanchang 南昌 ** Diocese of Ganzhou 贛州 ** Diocese of Ji’an 吉安 ** Diocese of Nancheng 南城 ** Diocese of Yujiang 餘江

Ecclesiastical Province of Nanjing

The Ecclesiastical Province of Nanjing roughly covers the territory of

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. In Jiangsu province, two exempt jurisdictions are also located: the

Apostolic Prefecture of Haizhou Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

and the Apostolic Prefecture of Yangzhou. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nanjing 南京 ** Diocese of Haimen 海門 ** Diocese of Shanghai 上海 ** Diocese of Suzhou 蘇州 ** Diocese of Xuzhou 徐州

Ecclesiastical Province of Nanning

The Ecclesiastical Province of Nanning roughly covers the territory of Guangxi. In Guangxi, one exempt jurisdiction is also located: the

Apostolic Prefecture of Guilin The Apostolic Prefecture of Guilin is a Roman Catholic Prefecture that has jurisdiction over Catholics within the Guilin region of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China. History Like other apostolic prefectures, it is immediately subject to ...

. Also, note that the diocese of Beihai, which is located in Guangxi, is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Guangdong. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nanning 南寧 ** Diocese of Wuzhou 梧州

Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang

The Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang (Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning) roughly covers Liaoning and Jilin. However, the Diocese of Chifeng belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang, but is located in Inner Mongolia. Furthermore, the diocese of Yanji (in Jilin) also covers a very small part of Heilongjiang. Some parts of the North-East are covered by exempt jurisdictions: the

, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Jiamusi Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Lindong The Apostolic Prefecture of Lindong (or Lintung) is a missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction, not entitled to a titular bishop, in China. It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. History On 1 ...

and the

Apostolic Prefecture of Qiqihar The Apostolic Prefecture of Qiqihar (or Tsitsikar) () is a Latin Church missionary jurisdiction in Heilongjiang province, China. Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathedral of St. Michael in the city of Qiqihar. It is exempt, i.e. directly subje ...

. Harbin is also the seat of the Eastern Catholic Russian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Harbin, which, however, has been vacant since 1939 and only exists on paper. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shenyang 瀋陽 ** Diocese of Chifeng 赤峰 ** Diocese of Fushun 撫順 ** Diocese of Jilin 吉林 ** Diocese of Rehe 熱河 ** Diocese of Sipingjie 四平街 ** Diocese of Yanji 延吉 ** Diocese of Yingkou 營口

Ecclesiastical Province of Suiyuan

Suiyuan is now known as Hohhot; the dioceses roughly cover

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

and

Ningxia Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1 ...

, though the diocese of Xiwanzi is actually located in Hebei. Also, the Diocese of Chifeng is located in Inner Mongolia, but belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Suiyuan 綏遠 (also known as Hohhot) ** Diocese of Jining 集寧 ** Diocese of Ningxia 寧夏 ** Diocese of Xiwanzi 西彎子

Ecclesiastical Province of Taiyuan

The territory of the Ecclesiastical Province of Taiyuan is almost equal to that of Shanxi province. However, the

Apostolic Prefecture of Xinjiang Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

(also referred to as Yuncheng or Jiangzhou) has not yet been elevated to the rank of diocese, and as such is not yet part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Taiyuan, but is still exempt. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Taiyuan 太原 ** Diocese of Datong 大同 ** Diocese of Fenyang 汾陽 (also known as Lüliang) ** Diocese of Hongdong 洪洞 (also known as Linfen) ** Diocese of Lu’an 潞安 (also known as Changzhi) ** Diocese of Shuozhou 朔州 ** Diocese of Yuci 榆次 (also known as Jinzhong)

Ecclesiastical Province of Xi'an

Apart from the dioceses, Shaanxi province also has two apostolic prefectures: the

Apostolic Prefecture of Tongzhou Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

and the Apostolic Prefecture of Xing’anfu. However, even after taking this into account, the boundaries do not completely correspond with Shaanxi province. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Xi’an 西安 ** Diocese of Fengxiang 鳳翔 ** Diocese of Hanzhong 漢中 ** Diocese of Sanyuan 三原 ** Diocese of Yan’an 延安 ** Diocese of Zhouzhi 盩厔

Current Latin province and dioceses in Taiwan

Ecclesiastical Province of Taipei

Note that

Kinmen Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separat ...

and the

Matsu Islands The Matsu Islands ( or , ; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤), officially Lienchiang County (, ; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ( ...

belong to the diocese of Xiamen, but are administered by the archdiocese of Taipei with its Archbishop serving as an

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

in respect of the islands. * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Taipei ** Diocese of Chiayi ** Diocese of Hualien ** Diocese of Hsinchu ** Diocese of Kaohsiung ** Diocese of Taichung ** Diocese of Tainan

Current exempt jurisdictions, immediately subject to the Holy See

Dioceses

Diocese of Macau The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau ( pt, 1=Diocese de Macau; ) is an exempt (i.e. an immediate subject of the Holy See and not part of any ecclesiastical province) Latin Rite diocese of the Catholic Church, in contrast with the Roman Catholic Di ...

Apostolic Administrations

in Heilongjiang

Apostolic Prefectures

(Paoking/Shaoyang) in Hunan *

(Kweilin) in Guangxi *

in Hainan *

(Donghai/ Haichow) in Jiangsu *

(Kiamusze) in Heilongjiang * Apostolic Prefecture of Jian'ou (Jianning/Kienning/Kienow) in Fujian *

(Lintung) in Inner Mongolia *

(Lintsing) in Shandong *

(Lizhou/Lichow) in Hunan *

(Tsitsikar) in Heilongjiang *

in Fujian *

(Shasi) in Hubei * Apostolic Prefecture of Shiqian (Shihtsien) in Guizhou * Apostolic Prefecture of Suixian (Suihsien) in Hubei *

(Tungchow) in Shaanxi *

(Tunki) in Anhui *

(Weihaiwei) in Shandong *

(Siangtan) in Hunan * Apostolic Prefecture of Xing’anfu (Ankang/Hinganfu) in Shaanxi *

(Sining) in Qinghai *

(Jiangzhou/ Kiangchow) in Shanxi * Apostolic Prefecture of Xinjiang-Urumqi (Urumqi/Sinkiang/Xinjiang) in Xinjiang * Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang (Sinsiang) in Henan * Apostolic Prefecture of Yangzhou (Yangchow) in Jiangsu * Apostolic Prefecture of Yiduxian (Iduhsien) in Shandong *

(Yihsien) in Hebei *

(Lingling/Yungchow) in Hunan *

(Yuezhou/Yochow) in Hunan *

(Chaotung) in Yunnan

Eastern Catholic : Byzantine Rite

* Russian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Harbin (particular

)

Defunct jurisdictions

Most former jurisdictions have current successor sees (although many are vacant). Suppressed without 'direct' successor (all in continental China) :

(Arch)Diocesan

There are no titular sees, and the Latin * Titular Patriarchal See of All the East was suppressed in 1370 after a single incumbent, the Archbishop of Khanbalik. * Archdiocese of Khanbalik * Diocese of Citong * Diocese of Ili-baluc alias Amaliaq alias Kulja (1320-1330)

Pre-diocesan

(some had their title preserved when merged into another) * Apostolic Vicariate of Shansi *

Apostolic Vicariate of Kweichow The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Guiyang/Kweyang ( la, Coeiiamen(sis), ) is an archdiocese located in the city of Guiyang in China. History * October 15, 1696: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Kweichow from the Apostolic Vicariate of Fu ...

Apostolic Vicariate of Kiangsi The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nanchang ( la, Nanciamen(sis), ) is an archdiocese based in the city of Nanchang in China. History *1696: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Kiangsi from the Apostolic Vicariate of Chekiang and Kiangsi * 18 ...

* Apostolic Vicariate of Kokonur * Mission sui juris of I-li (itself a late 'restoration' of the above diocese)

Dioceses according to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association

The structure of dioceses of the CPCA is not the same one as the one of the Holy See. First of all, the distinction between archdioceses, dioceses, apostolic prefectures and apostolic administrations is not maintained: only dioceses exist. Secondly, the dioceses are structured according to the administrative divisions of the PRC. Many dioceses have been merged; some provinces are only served by a single diocese. Except for the diocese of Kangding, which also covers Tibet, all dioceses are restricted to territory within a single province. In total the CPCA has 104 dioceses, whereas according to the Holy See, Mainland China has 143 jurisdictions. In the course of time, the CPCA has established five new dioceses (the Diocese of Jincheng and the Diocese of Xinzhou in Shanxi, the Diocese of Bayannur and the Diocese of Baotou in Inner Mongolia, and the Diocese of Zhanjiang in Guangdong. Forty-four other jurisdictions have been merged with other dioceses. For example, according to the Holy See, Hunan province exists of one archdiocese, three dioceses and four apostolic prefectures. These eight jurisdictions have all been merged by the CPCA to form a single diocese of Hunan. Furthermore, many dioceses have been renamed or have had their seat relocated to a nearby city; most of the dioceses boundaries have also been redrawn to correspond with current PRC administrative divisions. In general, Chinese prefectures have no more than one diocese, but there are exceptions: the prefecture of

Baoding Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the b ...

is divided in the Diocese of Baoding and the Diocese of Anguo. This results in the following list of dioceses: The CPCA has abolished and merged:
3 jurisdictions in Anhui
2 jurisdictions in Fujian
3 jurisdictions in Guangxi
2 jurisdictions in Guizhou
4 jurisdictions in Hebei
3 jurisdictions in Heilongjiang
6 jurisdictions in Hebei
7 jurisdictions in Hunan
1 jurisdiction in Inner Mongolia
2 jurisdictions in Jiangsu
4 jurisdictions in Jiangxi
2 jurisdictions in Jilin
3 jurisdictions in Liaoning
2 jurisdictions in Shandong In total, 44 Holy See jurisdictions have been abolished and merged. This includes 26 out of 93 dioceses and 18 out of 29 apostolic prefectures. The CPCA has established:
1 jurisdiction in Guangdong
2 jurisdictions in Inner Mongolia
2 jurisdictions in Shanxi In total, 5 new CPCA jurisdictions have been established, all dioceses. Apart from these 5, the CPCA has also established a new diocese in Hebei, the Diocese of Chengde, but this diocese was recognized by the Holy See in 2018. In the following provinces, no new dioceses were established and existing dioceses were not abolished: Beijing, Chongqing, Gansu, Hainan, Henan, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanghai, Sichuan, Tianjin, Tibet, Xinjiang, Yunnan and Zhejiang. In Guangdong and Zhejiang, no dioceses were abolished, but new diocese were established. However, names of dioceses may have been changed, dioceses may have been elevated, and the boundaries of dioceses may have changed.

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org

References

{{Reflist * China Catholic dioceses

Current Latin dioceses in Greater China

Current Latin provinces and dioceses in PR China incl. Hong Kong

Ecclesiastical Province of Anqing

Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing

Ecclesiastical Province of Changsha

Ecclesiastical Province of Chongqing

Ecclesiastical Province of Fuzhou

Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou

Ecclesiastical Province of Guiyang

Ecclesiastical Province of Hangzhou

Ecclesiastical Province of Hankou

Ecclesiastical Province of Jinan

Ecclesiastical Province of Kaifeng

Ecclesiastical Province of Kunming

Ecclesiastical Province of Lanzhou

Ecclesiastical Province of Nanchang

Ecclesiastical Province of Nanjing

Ecclesiastical Province of Nanning

Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang

Ecclesiastical Province of Suiyuan

Ecclesiastical Province of Taiyuan

Ecclesiastical Province of Xi'an

Current Latin province and dioceses in Taiwan

Ecclesiastical Province of Taipei

Current exempt jurisdictions, immediately subject to the Holy See

Dioceses

Apostolic Administrations

Apostolic Prefectures

Eastern Catholic : Byzantine Rite

Defunct jurisdictions

(Arch)Diocesan

Pre-diocesan

Dioceses according to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association

See also

Sources and external links

References