bishopric

A bishopric is the office, jurisdiction, or territory of a bishop within Christian churches. The term can refer to the see—the bishop’s seat and governing authority—or, more broadly, to the geographic district under the bishop’s supervision, i.e., the diocese. The word combines bishop with the Old English suffix -ric, historically signaling a realm or domain; in Latin usage the comparable term is episcopatus or episcopate.

In practice a bishop presides over a diocese, providing spiritual leadership and administrative governance. Responsibilities typically include ordaining clergy, confirming lay members, overseeing parishes and liturgical practice, and safeguarding doctrine and discipline. In larger church structures a bishop may belong to a metropolitan province led by an archbishop, and a diocese may be subdivided into smaller church districts or parishes.

Historically, bishoprics were central units of church organization in antiquity and the medieval world. In some periods bishops held secular power within prince-bishoprics or as rulers of cities and territories alongside their spiritual duties. In modern Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, the bishopric remains the core territorial and administrative unit, though civil authority is typically separate from ecclesiastical governance.

Usage of the term emphasizes either the office (the bishop’s authority) or the jurisdiction (the diocese over which the bishop presides).