Diocese in Europe


The Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, known simply as the Diocese in Europe, is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and the largest diocese in the Anglican Communion, covering some one-sixth of the Earth's landmass. Its jurisdiction includes all of Europe, Morocco, Mongolia and the territory of the former Soviet Union.
The diocese is attached to the Church of England Province of Canterbury and is headed by the Bishop in Europe, who is assisted by the Suffragan Bishop in Europe. The present bishop, Robert Innes, was commissioned and consecrated on 20 July 2014, and the suffragan bishop, Andrew Norman, was consecrated on 27 February 2025.
The see cathedral is the Cathedral of [the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar], and there are two pro-cathedrals: St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta, and the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Brussels, Belgium. The diocese is divided into seven archdeaconries.

History

Church of England churches and congregations were established in Continental European countries before the Reformation. In 1633, overseas churches of the Church of England were placed under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. In 1824, the British Foreign Secretary, George Canning, appointed Matthew Luscombe chaplain to the British embassy in Paris and to supervise all Church of England clergy on the continent. Unable to secure the support of the English bishops, Luscombe was consecrated a missionary bishop by the Scottish bishops in 1825, and functioned as a sort of proto-Bishop of Fulham.
The Diocese of Gibraltar was created on 29 September 1842 and at that time covered all Anglican chaplaincies from Portugal to the Caspian Sea. In 1842, its jurisdiction was described as "Gibraltar, and the Congregations of the Church of England in the Islands and on the Coasts of the Mediterranean"; a map from the same year shows churches at Lisbon, Porto, Gibraltar, Málaga, Marseille, Nice, Tunis, Lucca, Livorno, Florence, Rome, Palermo, Trieste, Valletta, Messina, Naples, Corfu, Zante, Athens, Syra, Smyrna, and Constantinople. From 1926, Church of England parishes in northern Europe became part of the Jurisdiction of North and Central Europe, under the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of London, delegated to the Suffragan Bishop of Fulham.
In 1970, John Satterthwaite was appointed as both Bishop of Fulham and Bishop of Gibraltar, and on 30 June 1980, the Gibraltar Diocese was officially amalgamated with the Jurisdiction of North and Central Europe by the . The new united diocese was renamed as the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe and brought under the authority of the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. It has since become commonly known as the Diocese in Europe.

Archdeaconries

File:Malta - Valletta - West Street & Old Theatre Street - St Paul's Pro-Cathedral 1844 by William Scamp.jpg|thumb|right|St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Valletta

Bishops

The diocese is led by the diocesan Bishop in Europe, Robert Innes, and the Suffragan Bishop in Europe. Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough, provides alternative episcopal oversight for those chaplaincies which uphold a traditional catholic understanding of Holy Orders, and based on theological convictions, cannot accept the priestly and episcopal ministry of women.
The diocese also licences many honorary assistant bishops to fulfil some episcopal duties across the European diocese. Several of these are the current bishops of other churches in Europe in communion with the Church of England:
The rest are retired Anglican bishops resident in England. The following are licensed as of 2020 according to the official diocesan website:
Additionally, there were several more honorary assistant bishops listed Crockford's Clerical Directory as of 2014:
  • Fernando da Luz Soares, retired bishop of the Lusitanian church, is listed as having been licensed since 1995; he retired in 2013 but remains bishop emeritus of that church and apparently remains in Gaia, Portugal.

    Churches and clergy

The diocese currently has 131 clergy occupying stipendiary or full-time posts. However, not every member of the clergy receives a stipend in the same way as clergy in the United Kingdom. Many ministers are entirely supported by their own congregation.
''Last fully updated 19 September 2018.''

Archdeaconry of France

Archdeaconry of North West Europe

Archdeaconry of Germany and Northern Europe

Archdeaconry of Switzerland

Archdeaconry of Gibraltar

Archdeaconry of Italy and Malta

Eastern Archdeaconry