Diocese of Edinburgh

The Diocese of Edinburgh is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers the City of Edinburgh, the Lothians, the Borders and Falkirk. The diocesan centre is St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. The seat of the Bishop of Edinburgh is currently vacant.

History

Unlike the other dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Edinburgh is a fairly recent creation. The diocese was created by Charles I in 1634, with William Forbes as its first bishop, and St. Giles' Cathedral as the original cathedral.

During the Scottish Reformation, the heritage and jurisdiction of the church passed into the hands of the presbyterian Church of Scotland, although the line of bishops was preserved.

In 1874, the foundations were laid for the present Episcopalian cathedral in Edinburgh.

Twinning

The Diocese of Edinburgh is twinned with the dioceses of two other churches:

• Anglican Diocese of Dunedin (Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia)
• Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)