Following the Protestant Reformation, the Christian church in several parts of Western Europe, such as Scotland, the Netherlands, cern Swiss Cantons and parts of Germany, adopted a presbyterian polity that did away with bishops alther. Where ancient cathedral buildings in these lands are still in use for congregational worship, they generally ren the title and dignity of "cathedral", mainning and developing distinct cathedral functions, but void of hierarchical supremacy. From the 16th century onwards, but especially since the 19th century, churches originating in Western Europe have undertaken vigorous programmes of missionary activity, leading to the founding of large numbers of new dioceses with associated cathedral establishments of varying forms in Asia, Africa, Australasia, Oceania and the Americas. In addition, both the Catholic Church and Orthodox churches have formed new dioceses within formerly Protestant lands for converts and migrant co-religionists. Consequent

av1227