The first Latin bishop was appointed by Patriarch Bernard of Valence in 1127 or 1128 under his direct jurisdiction, which caused a lengthy dispute with the archbishops of Tyre.
[2] In 1138, Pope Innocent II absolved the bishop of Tortosa of his oath of obedience to the patriarch of Antioch and ordered him to submit to the archbishop of Tyre, Fulk.
In response, Bishop William I hired the Knights Templar to defend the cathedral in exchange for ecclesiastical privileges.
[7] When Patriarch Peter of Lucedio was too ill to attend the Fourth Lateran Council in November 1215, he sent the bishop of Tripoli in his stead.
Alexander also ruled on the practice of the bishop of Tortosa of paying his canons salaries while retaining control their prebends.
[11] In 1263, Pope Urban IV reversed Alexander's decision and united the diocese of Raphanea to Tortosa, allowing the bishop to claim tithes from what lands of the former remained under Crusader control.
The bishops of Tortosa, through successful lawsuits, sound estate management and the Marian shrine, retained solid finances throughout the 13th century.
In that year, Bishop William III asked the Hospitallers to help him enforce the Roman obedience on the Greek churches, evidently those of the Orthodox persuasion.