| Diocese of Leeds | |
| Latin: | Dioecesis Loidensis |
| Coat: | Diocese of Leeds.png |
| Territory: | With parts of: |
| Province: | Liverpool |
| Metropolitan: | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Deaneries: | 11 |
| Area Sqmi: | 1,900 |
| Population: | 2,115,000 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Catholics: | 168,000 |
| Catholics Percent: | 7.9 |
| Parishes: | 82 |
| Churches: | 108 |
| Schools: | 93 |
| Denomination: | Catholic |
| Sui Iuris Church: | Latin Church |
| Rite: | Roman Rite |
| Established: | 29 September 1850 |
| Cathedral: | Saint Anne's Cathedral, Leeds |
| Patron: | Our Lady of Perpetual Succour St Wilfrid |
| Priests: | 187 |
| Bishop: | Marcus Stock |
| Metro Archbishop: | Malcolm McMahon |
| Vicar General: | [1] |
| Emeritus Bishops: | Arthur Roche[2] |
| Map: | Province of Liverpool.png |
The Diocese of Leeds (Latin: Dioecesis Loidensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church centred on Leeds Cathedral in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley, which had covered all of Yorkshire. The Diocese of Leeds was made to cover the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, while the Diocese of Middlesbrough took over the diocesan organisation of the rest of Yorkshire.
See also: Catholic Church in England and Wales. In the 19th century, the region covered by the modern diocese fell under the jurisdiction of Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, which in turn became the Apostolic Vicariate of the Yorkshire District, which was then elevated to the distinction of Diocese of Beverley in 1850. Around 1861, the then Bishop of Beverley, Robert Cornthwaite, informed the Holy See that in his opinion, the Diocese of Beverley was too large, and in light of the expanding Catholic population, should be sub-divided into two regions. After 15 years of discussion and planning, it was agreed that on 20 December 1878, the Diocese of Beverley be dissolved and that the Diocese of Leeds be created to cater for the West Riding of Yorkshire and those parishes in the City of York to the south of the River Ouse, and the Diocese of Middlesbrough, covering the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire and those parishes in the City of York to the north of the River Ouse.[3] However, in 1982 the two York parishes south of the River Ouse were ceded to the Diocese of Middlesbrough to unite the City of York under one bishop. In 1980, fifty parishes in the South Yorkshire region of the diocese were transferred from Leeds to the newly formed Diocese of Hallam. The parish of Howden was transferred from the Middlesbrough diocese to the Leeds diocese in 2004.
| Patron | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 June | ||
| 12 October |
See Diocese of Beverley for bishops of that diocese.
See main article: Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds.
The diocese is organised into deaneries, each with a Dean and a number of parishes.