The Bishop of Portsmouth is the Ordinary

Ordinary

In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...

 of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth

Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is the Portsmouth Cathedral and is headed by the Bishop of Portsmouth...

 in the Province of Southwark, England.

The bishop's official residence is St. Edmund House, Edinburgh Road, Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

.

The current bishop is the Right Reverend Crispian Hollis

Crispian Hollis

Roger Francis Crispian Hollis is the Bishop of Portsmouth for the Catholic Church. His parents were Christopher Hollis , the author and parliamentarian, and Madeleine Hollis .-Family life:...

, the 7th Bishop of Portsmouth, who was appointed on 6 December 1988.

History

In 1688 the Portsmouth area came under the authority of the Vicar Apostolic of the London District

Vicar Apostolic of the London District

The Vicar Apostolic of the London District was the title given to the bishop who headed an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England, the Vicariate Apostolic of the London District, from 1688 to 1850.-Background:...

. On the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales

Universalis Ecclesiae

Universalis Ecclesiae is the incipit of the papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as...

 in 1850 Portsmouth became part of the Diocese of Southwark

Archdiocese of Southwark

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic archdiocese in England. The Archepiscopal see is St. George's Cathedral, Southwark and is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark...

. On 19 May 1882 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth

Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is the Portsmouth Cathedral and is headed by the Bishop of Portsmouth...

 was created, and consists of the counties of Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 and Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

, together with Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

 and Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

 south of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

, plus the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

 and the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

.

List of the Roman Catholic bishops of Portsmouth

Bishops of Portsmouth
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1882	1900	John Vertue John Vertue John Vertue was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of Portsmouth from 1882 to 1900....	Appointed bishop on 3 June 1882 and consecrated on 25 July 1882. Died in office on 23 May 1900.
1900	1910	John Baptist Cahill John Baptist Cahill John Baptist Cahill was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth from 1900 to 1910....	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of the Diocese of Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is the Portsmouth Cathedral and is headed by the Bishop of Portsmouth...  (March–August 1900). Appointed Bishop of Portsmouth on 30 August 1900. Died in office on 2 August 1910.
1910	1940	William Timothy Cotter William Timothy Cotter William Timothy Cotter was an Irish-born prelate who served as the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, England, from 1910 to 1940....	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of the Diocese of Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is the Portsmouth Cathedral and is headed by the Bishop of Portsmouth...  (1905–1910). Appointed Bishop of Portsmouth on 24 November 1910. Died in office on 24 October 1940.
1941	1965	John Henry King John Henry King John Henry King was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth from 1941 to 1965....	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of the Diocese of Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is the Portsmouth Cathedral and is headed by the Bishop of Portsmouth...  (1938–1941). Appointed Bishop of Portsmouth on 4 June 1941. Appointed the personal title Archbishop on 6 June 1954. Died in office on 23 March 1965.
1965	1976	Derek Worlock	Appointed Bishop of Portsmouth on 18 October 1965 and consecrated on 21 December 1965. Translated to the archbishopric of Liverpool Archbishop of Liverpool The Archbishop of Liverpool heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...  on 7 February 1976.
1976	1988	Anthony Joseph Emery Anthony Joseph Emery Anthony Joseph Emery was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth from 1976 to 1988....	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of the Archdiocese of Birmingham (1967–1976). Appointed Bishop of Portsmouth on 13 September 1976. Died on 5 April 1988.
1988	present	Crispian Hollis Crispian Hollis Roger Francis Crispian Hollis is the Bishop of Portsmouth for the Catholic Church. His parents were Christopher Hollis , the author and parliamentarian, and Madeleine Hollis .-Family life:...	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of the Archdiocese of Birmingham (1987–1988). Appointed Bishop of Portsmouth on 6 December 1988.