Roman Catholicism in Italy
Encyclopedia
The Italian Catholic Church is part of the global Roman Catholic Church
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
, curia
in Rome
, and the Conference of Italian Bishops. In addition to Italy
, two other sovereign nations are included in Italian-based dioceses, San Marino
and Vatican City
. There are 225 dioceses in the Italian Catholic Church, see further in this article and in the article List of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy.
The pope
resides in the Vatican City
, in Rome
. Rome
, and Italy
, have been major centres for Christian pilgrimage since the Roman Empire
, and Rome is commonly regarded as the "home of the Roman Catholic Church", since it is where St Peter set up the first Christian Church.
Owing to the Italian Renaissance
, church art in Italy is quite extraordinary, including the works by Leonardo da Vinci
, Michelangelo
, Fra Carnevale (priest and artist), Gian Lorenzo Bernini
, Sandro Botticelli
, Tintoretto
, Titian
, Raphael
, Giotto, etc.
Italian church architecture is equally spectacular and historically important to Western culture, notably St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome, Cathedral of St. Mark's in Venice
, and Brunelleschi
's Florence Cathedral (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore), which includes the "Gates of Paradise" doors at the Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti
.
were also in touch with St. Peter and St. Paul the Apsotle both of whom went to Rome on mission and were eventually martyred there. One of the first Italian bishops and popes was Clement of Rome who wrote an Epistle (I CLEMENT) around 96 AD.
Over its two thousand year history, the Church of Italy grew in size and influence, producing and/or harboring (sometimes before martyrdom) some of the greatest leaders and movers of Catholic Christianity, including Priscilla and Aquila; Ignatius of Antioch
, martyred in Rome; Polycarp
, martyred in Rome and a disciple of John the Evangelist
; Agnes
, martyr; Lawrence, martyr; Justin Martyr
, teacher and martyr; Hippolytus, priest and martyr; Cecilia, Roman martyr; Ambrose of Milan, bishop and Doctor of the Church
; Jerome
, theologian and Doctor of the Church; Benedict of Nursia
, founder of the Benedictine order and of Western monasticism
; Leo the Great, bishop of Rome and Doctor of the Church; Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome and Doctor of the Church; Augustine of Canterbury
, Roman monk, Benedictine missionary to England, later English bishop; Urban II, pope or Bishop of Rome who called for the First Crusade
; Anselm of Canterbury
, Italian-born philosopher, Doctor of the Church and later English bishop; Francis of Assisi
, mystic and founder of the Franciscans; Bonaventure
of Bagnorea, Dominican
theologian and Doctor of the Church; Thomas Aquinas
, theologian, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church; Dante, poet; Catherine of Siena
, mystic, reformer, and Doctor of the Church; Monteverdi, composer; Robert Bellarmine
of Tuscany
, Jesuit theologian and Doctor of the Church; Antonio Vivaldi
, priest and composer; Leo XIII, bishop of Rome and social reformer; Pius XII, bishop of Rome; John XXIII, bishop of Rome and initiator of Second Vatican Council
, among many others. One could add to this list the founders of various contemporary lay ecclesial movements, notably Luigi Giussani
, founder of Communion And Liberation, and Chiara Lubich
, founder of the Focolare Movement
. Also, Andrea Riccardi
, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio
, now one of the great faith based organizations in the world.
. It also has the largest number of parishes (25,694), female (102,089) and male (23,719) religious, and priests (44,906 including secular (i.e. diocesan) and religious (those belonging to a male religious order)).
The bishop
s in Italy make up the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
as a collaborative body to perform certain functions specified by Canon Law. Unlike most episcopal conference
s, the president of the Italian conference is appointed by the pope
, is his capacity as Primate
of Italy. Since March 2007, the president of the episcopal conference has been Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco
.
.
There are two Catholic Churches in its own right:
The Primate of Italy is the Bishop of Rome
, which is also the Pope
of Catholics
.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and the Conference of Italian Bishops. In addition to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, two other sovereign nations are included in Italian-based dioceses, San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
and Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. There are 225 dioceses in the Italian Catholic Church, see further in this article and in the article List of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy.
The pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
resides in the Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, have been major centres for Christian pilgrimage since the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and Rome is commonly regarded as the "home of the Roman Catholic Church", since it is where St Peter set up the first Christian Church.
Owing to the Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, church art in Italy is quite extraordinary, including the works by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
, Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, Fra Carnevale (priest and artist), Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...
, Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance...
, Tintoretto
Tintoretto
Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
, Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
, Giotto, etc.
Italian church architecture is equally spectacular and historically important to Western culture, notably St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome, Cathedral of St. Mark's in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, and Brunelleschi
Filippo Brunelleschi
Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for inventing linear perspective and designing the dome of the Florence Cathedral, but his accomplishments also included bronze artwork, architecture , mathematics,...
's Florence Cathedral (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore), which includes the "Gates of Paradise" doors at the Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti , born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian artist of the early Renaissance best known for works in sculpture and metalworking.-Early life:...
.
History
Christianity arrived on the Italian peninsula in the first century, probably by unknown travelers, traders or soldiers. Letter to the Romans of Paul the Apostle is addressed and attests to the presence of Roman Christians in the first century. Christians in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
were also in touch with St. Peter and St. Paul the Apsotle both of whom went to Rome on mission and were eventually martyred there. One of the first Italian bishops and popes was Clement of Rome who wrote an Epistle (I CLEMENT) around 96 AD.
Over its two thousand year history, the Church of Italy grew in size and influence, producing and/or harboring (sometimes before martyrdom) some of the greatest leaders and movers of Catholic Christianity, including Priscilla and Aquila; Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch was among the Apostolic Fathers, was the third Bishop of Antioch, and was a student of John the Apostle. En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early Christian theology...
, martyred in Rome; Polycarp
Polycarp
Saint Polycarp was a 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him...
, martyred in Rome and a disciple of John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
; Agnes
Agnes
-People:*Agnes , a female given name *Agnes of Assisi*Agnes of Gandersheim, Abbess of Gandersheim and Quedlinburg*Agnes of Poitou, Regent of the Holy Roman Empire*Agnes of Tristain, fictional character...
, martyr; Lawrence, martyr; Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr, also known as just Saint Justin , was an early Christian apologist. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue survive. He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
, teacher and martyr; Hippolytus, priest and martyr; Cecilia, Roman martyr; Ambrose of Milan, bishop and Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
; Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
, theologian and Doctor of the Church; Benedict of Nursia
Benedict of Nursia
Saint Benedict of Nursia is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students.Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no...
, founder of the Benedictine order and of Western monasticism
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
; Leo the Great, bishop of Rome and Doctor of the Church; Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome and Doctor of the Church; Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
, Roman monk, Benedictine missionary to England, later English bishop; Urban II, pope or Bishop of Rome who called for the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
; Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury , also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109...
, Italian-born philosopher, Doctor of the Church and later English bishop; Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, mystic and founder of the Franciscans; Bonaventure
Bonaventure
Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M., , born John of Fidanza , was an Italian medieval scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was canonized on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the...
of Bagnorea, Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
theologian and Doctor of the Church; Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, theologian, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church; Dante, poet; Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Siena
Saint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor...
, mystic, reformer, and Doctor of the Church; Monteverdi, composer; Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation...
of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Jesuit theologian and Doctor of the Church; Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
, priest and composer; Leo XIII, bishop of Rome and social reformer; Pius XII, bishop of Rome; John XXIII, bishop of Rome and initiator of Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, among many others. One could add to this list the founders of various contemporary lay ecclesial movements, notably Luigi Giussani
Luigi Giussani
Monsignor Luigi Giovanni Giussani , Italian Catholic priest, educator, public intellectual and founder of the international Catholic movement Communion and Liberation .-Biography:...
, founder of Communion And Liberation, and Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich was an Italian Catholic activist and leader and foundress of the Focolare Movement.- Early life :...
, founder of the Focolare Movement
Focolare Movement
The Focolare Movement is an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Founded in 1943 in Trento, northern Italy by Chiara Lubich as a religious movement, the Focolare Movement, though primarily Roman Catholic, now has strong links to the major Christian...
. Also, Andrea Riccardi
Andrea Riccardi
Andrea Riccardi is the founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. "The Community of Saint Egidio was born in 1968 in Rome and is made up of more than 70,000 persons in more than 70 countries actively involved above all in evangelization and in the service to one’s neighbor, especially the most...
, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio
Community of Sant'Egidio
The Community of Sant'Egidio is a Christian community that is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a "Church public lay association". It claims 50,000 members in more than 70 countries...
, now one of the great faith based organizations in the world.
Today
Around 90% of the Italian population is Catholic, of which one-third are active members Italy has 225 dioceses and archdioceses, more than any other country in the world with the exception of BrazilRoman Catholicism in Brazil
The Roman Catholic Church in Brazil is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, curia in Rome, and the very influential Brazilian Conference of Bishops , composed by over four hundred primary and auxiliary bishops and archbishops. There are over 250...
. It also has the largest number of parishes (25,694), female (102,089) and male (23,719) religious, and priests (44,906 including secular (i.e. diocesan) and religious (those belonging to a male religious order)).
The bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s in Italy make up the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
The Italian Episcopal Conference is the episcopal conference of the Italian bishops of the Catholic Church and as such is the official assembly of all the bishops in Italy. The conference was founded in 1971 and carries out certain tasks as well as having authority assigned to setting the...
as a collaborative body to perform certain functions specified by Canon Law. Unlike most episcopal conference
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
s, the president of the Italian conference is appointed by the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, is his capacity as Primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
of Italy. Since March 2007, the president of the episcopal conference has been Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco
Angelo Bagnasco
Angelo Bagnasco is an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Genoa and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference , and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007....
.
Organization
The Apostolic nuncio to Italy is also the nuncio to San Marino. Since January 2007, the nuncio has been Italian Archbishop Giuseppe BertelloGiuseppe Bertello
Giuseppe Bertello is a Catholic prelate and currently President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.-Early life:...
.
- 16 ecclesiastical regions (corresponding to RegionsRegions of ItalyThe regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
of Italian StateItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, with some consolidations: + Piemonte Valle d'Aosta / Trentino-Alto Adige + Friuli-Venezia Giulia Veneto + / Abruzzo + Molise. Even if the boundaries of the ecclesiastical regions do not coincide perfectly with the administrative boundaries of regions of the Italian Republic) - 42 ecclesiastical provinceEcclesiastical ProvinceAn ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
s divided into:- 1 ApostolicApostolic SeeIn Christianity, an apostolic see is any episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus.Out of the many such sees, five acquired special importance in Chalcedonian Christianity and became classified as the Pentarchy in Eastern Orthodox Christianity...
: RomeDiocese of RomeThe Diocese of Rome is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Rome, Italy. The bishop of Rome is the Pope, who is the Supreme Pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church... - 1 seat PatriarchPatriarchOriginally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
The VenicePatriarch of VeniceThe Patriarch of Venice is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few Patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church...
(apart from the title, is equal to all other metropolitan archdiocese) - 40 archdiocese metropolitan
- 1 Apostolic
- 20 Archdiocese
- 155 dioceseDioceseA diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
(see: List of Italian dioceses) - 2 Territorial Prelature
- LoretoTerritorial Prelature of LoretoThe Territorial Prelature of Loreto is a Roman Catholic territorial prelature which was elevated to this status on 24 June 1965.The Holy House of Loreto is located in it....
- PompeiiTerritorial Prelature of PompeiThe Territorial Prelature of Pompei also called the Territorial Perlature of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Most Holy Rosary is a Roman Catholic territorial prelature located in the city of Pompei in the Ecclesiastical province of Napoli in Italy....
- Loreto
- 6 Abbeys territorial
- Monte Oliveto Maggiore
- Montecassino
- Montevergine
- Santa Maria di Grottaferrata
- Holy Trinity of Cava dei Tirreni
- Subiaco
- 1 ordinariate militaryMilitary Ordinariate in ItalyThe Military Ordinariate in Italy is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Italian Armed Forces and their families.-History:...
There are two Catholic Churches in its own right:
- The Latin Catholic ChurchLatin ChurchThe Latin Church is the largest particular church within the Catholic Church. It is a particular church not on the level of the local particular churches known as dioceses or eparchies, but on the level of autonomous ritual churches, of which there are 23, the remaining 22 of which are Eastern...
(absolute majority, in 'Archdiocese of Milan, the liturgy is celebrated with Ambrosian riteAmbrosian RiteAmbrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
, while the rest of Italy with the Roman rite) - The Italo-Greek Catholic ChurchItalo-Greek Catholic ChurchThe Italo-Greek Catholic Church is one of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches which, together with the Latin Church, comprise the Catholic Church...
(or Italo-Albanian), formed by the 'Territorial Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, from' Eparchy of Lungro and the 'Eparchy of Piana Albanians (PA)
The Primate of Italy is the Bishop of Rome
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, which is also the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
of Catholics
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
.