Two years after Pope Francis merged two Alaskan dioceses, Bishop Jeffrey Monforton of Steubenville announced that his Ohio diocese may merge with the Diocese of Columbus.

Since the Diocese of Steubenville was founded in 1944, the population of the city of Steubenville has fallen from 37,000 to 18,000. Since 1990, there has been a 45% decline in Mass attendance throughout the diocese.