Plural of bishopric; multiple dioceses or territories under bishops' authority.
Simple plural formation of 'bishopric,' with the regular '-s' ending.
When historians write about medieval England, they often refer to the various bishoprics—the plural form is essential because the church's power was distributed across many different bishops' territories, each with considerable independence.
The bishopric office has historically been restricted to men across major Christian denominations, with institutional structures encoding male-only leadership.
Use with awareness that women bishops are recent additions to many traditions; specify inclusive framing when discussing institutional leadership.
Women bishops and religious leaders fought for decades for ordination rights; their achievements represent hard-won institutional change.
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