Diocese of Truro

The Diocese of Truro (established 1876) is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury which covers Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and a small part of Devon. The bishop's seat is at Truro Cathedral.

The diocese's area is that of the county of Cornwall, including the Isles of Scilly, as well as two parishes in neighbouring Devon (St Giles on the Heath and Virginstow). It was formed on 15 December 1876 from the Archdeaconry of Cornwall in the Diocese of Exeter. It is, therefore, one of the younger dioceses. The Christian faith, however, has been present in the region since at least the 4th century – more than 100 years before there was an Archbishop of Canterbury. Many of the communities in the diocese, as well as the parish churches, bear a Celtic saint's name, which is a reminder of the links with other Celtic lands, especially Ireland, Wales and Brittany.

The Diocese of Truro is involved directly and indirectly through its Board of Social Responsibility and in the life of its parishes in tackling some of the economic problems that Cornwall is wrestling with and works closely with statutory and voluntary agencies. There are 313 church buildings.

David Williams has been the diocesan Bishop of Truro since his confirmation on 28 March 2025; he was previously suffragan Bishop of Basingstoke, in the Diocese of Winchester.

The suffragan Bishop of St Germans was created in 1905, and Hugh Nelson is now the incumbent.

The provincial episcopal visitor for conservative evangelical parishes in the diocese which do not accept the ordination of women priests (e.g., St Olaf's Church, Poughill), is the suffragan Bishop of Ebbsfleet. He is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his ministry. Traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes such as St George's Truro that reject the ordination of women receive alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Oswestry (currently Paul Thomas).

At some periods there have also been assistant bishops, including John Wellington (formerly Bishop of Shantung) and Bill Lash, both retired from sees abroad.

The most recent suffragan Bishop of Plymouth in the neighbouring Diocese of Exeter, John Ford, was also licensed as an honorary assistant bishop in Truro diocese. A former Bishop of St Germans, Roy Screech, lives in St Austell.