Diócesis es el distrito o territorio cristiano en que tiene y ejerce jurisdicción eclesiástica un prelado: arzobispo, obispo, etc. El nombre proviene de tiempos de los romanos, ya que se le designaba el nombre de diócesis a las divisiones administrativas posteriores al siglo III. Un templo pertenece a una parroquia. Varias parroquias agrupadas suelen pertenecer a un decanato o arciprestazgo, los cuales agrupados pertenecen a una diócesis. Las diócesis se pueden agrupar, a su vez, en provincias eclesiásticas, a la cabeza de las cuales se halla una archidiócesis. Cuando una diócesis carece de pastor (el obispo), se dice que está vacante o impedida. El término diócesis es utilizado por distintas iglesias cristianas, siendo la más extendida la Iglesia católica, cuyo Código de Derecho Canónico la define en el canon 369 como: La diócesis es una porción del pueblo de Dios, cuyo cuidado pastoral se encomienda al obispo con la cooperación del presbiterio, de manera que, unida a su pastor y congregada por él en el Espíritu Santo mediante el Evangelio y la Eucaristía, constituya una Iglesia particular, en la cual verdaderamente está presente y actúa la Iglesia de Cristo una santa, católica y apostólica. Una diócesis titular en la Iglesia católica romana es un obispado o arzobispado del que hoy existe únicamente su título y es conservado su recuerdo. Se la concede a un obispo o arzobispo, quien no es un ordinario diocesano, sino que es un dignatario de la Curia Romana, un obispo auxiliar o el jefe de una jurisdicción misional como, por ejemplo, un vicariato apostólico.

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The word diocese is derived from the Greek term διοίκησις meaning "administration". When now used in an ecclesiastical sense, it refers to a territorial unit of administration. In the Western Church, the district is under the supervision of a bishop (who may have assistant bishops to help him or her) and is divided into parishes under the care of priests; but in the Eastern Church, the word denotes the area under the jurisdiction of a patriarch and the bishops under his jurisdiction administer parishes. This structure of church governance is known as episcopal polity. The word diocesan means relating or pertaining to a diocese. It can also be used as a noun meaning the bishop who has the principal supervision of a diocese. A diocese also may be referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop, and the term bishopric to the post of being bishop. An archdiocese (or archiepiscopal see or archbishopric) is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or have had importance due to size or historical significance. The archbishop may have metropolitan authority over any other suffragan bishops and their dioceses within his ecclesiastical province. In the Latter Day Saint movement, the term "bishopric" is used to describe the bishop himself, together with his two counselors, not the ward or congregation of which a bishop has charge. Especially in the Middle Ages, some bishops (e.g. prince-bishops) held political as well as religious authority within their dioceses, which in practice were thus also independent or semi-independent states.

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