View source for Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz

{{Short description|Diocese of the Catholic Church}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction      = Diocese
| name              = Metz
| latin             = Dioecesis Metensis
| local             = Diocèse de Metz
| image             = Cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Metz.facade ouest.jpg
| image_size        = 
| image_alt         = 
| caption           = [[Metz Cathedral]]
| coat              = Blason eveché de Metz.svg
| coat_size         = 120x100px
| coat_alt          = 
<!---- Locations ---->
| country           = [[France]]
| territory         = 
| province          = 
| metropolitan      = [[exemption (church)|Exempt]] directly to the [[Holy See]]
| deaneries         = 
| headquarters      = 
| coordinates       = 
<!---- Statistics ---->
| area_km2          = 6,226
| area_footnotes    = 
| population        = 1,036,000
| population_as_of  = 2021
| catholics         = 805,250
| catholics_percent = 77.7
| parishes          = 649
<!-- Number of parishes in the diocese -->
| churches          = <!-- Number of churches in the diocese -->
| congregations     = <!-- Number of congregations in the diocese -->
| schools           = <!-- Number of church supported schools in the diocese -->
| members           = <!-- Number of members in the diocese -->
<!---- Information ---->
| denomination      = [[Catholic Church]]
| sui_iuris_church  = [[Latin Church]]
| rite              = [[Roman Rite]]
| established       = 
| dissolved         = 
| cathedral         = [[Metz Cathedral|Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz]]
| cocathedral       = 
| patron            = [[Saint Stephen]]
| priests           = 
242 (Diocesan)<br>33 (Religious Orders)<br>49 Permanent Deacons
<!---- Current leadership ---->
| pope              = {{Incumbent pope}}
| bishop            = [[Philippe Ballot]]
| metro_archbishop  = 
| coadjutor         = 
| auxiliary_bishops = 
| apostolic_admin   = 
| vicar_general     = 
| judicial_vicar    = 
| emeritus_bishops  = [[Jean-Christophe Lagleize]]
<!---- Map ---->
| map               =Diocèse de Metz.svg 
| map_size          = 
| map_alt           = 
| map_caption       = 
<!---- Website ---->
| website           = {{Official website|https://metz-catholique.fr/|metz-catholique.fr}}
| footnotes         = 
}}
{{Alsace sidebar}}
{{Lorraine sidebar}}
The '''Diocese of Metz''' ({{langx|la|Dioecesis Metensis}}; {{langx|fr|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 of France|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 (religious practice)#Cult practice|cult]] (French: {{lang|fr|établissement public du culte}}). The diocese is presently [[Exemption (Catholic canon law)|exempt]] directly to the [[Holy See]].

==History==
{{further|Prince-Bishopric of Metz}}
Metz was definitely a bishopric by 535, but may date from earlier than that.<ref>[https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10247a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Metz<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> 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.<ref>Bailey, Rosemary. The National Geographic traveler. France. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society. 1999. p 128. {{ISBN|0792274261}}</ref>

Originally the diocese was under the metropolitan of [[Archdiocese of Trier|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 [[Bezirk Lothringen|Lorraine department]] became [[exemption (church)|immediately subject to the Holy See]]. As of 1910 there were about 533,000 Catholics living in the diocese of Metz.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

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 [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg|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|date=April 2017}}

==Bishops==
{{Main|List of bishops of Metz}}

==See also==
*[[Catholic Church in France]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060514034356/http://catholique-metz.cef.fr/ Website of the diocese]
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dmetz.html Catholic hierarchy] [[Wikipedia:Verifiability#Reliable sources|{{sup|{{small|[''self-published'']}}}}]]
*{{CathEncy|wstitle=Metz}}

{{Alsace topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Catholic dioceses in France|state=collapsed}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Catholicism |portal2= France}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|49.1201|N|6.17591|E|source:kolossus-plwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metz, Roman Catholic Diocese of}}
[[Category:Metz]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic dioceses in France|Metz]]