Suburbicarian diocese
Encyclopedia
The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic diocese
s located in the vicinity of Rome
, whose (titular
) bishops form the highest-ranking order of Cardinal
s, the Cardinal Bishop
s.
The suburbicarian dioceses have varied slightly over time and nowadays consist of:
The see of Ostia is conferred on the Dean of the College of Cardinals
in addition to the see he already had. (Until 1914, the Dean received the see of Ostia and Velletri in place of the see he had earlier. The sees of Ostia and Velletri were separated in 1914.) The Dean used to be the longest-serving cardinal bishop, but is now chosen by the six cardinal bishops with the approval of the pope
.
The increasing involvement of the Cardinal bishops in the administration of the papal curia resulted in a detachment from their dioceses. Therefore some of them, in particular the Bishops of Sabina and Velletri, have for centuries had auxiliary bishops and in 1910 Pope Pius X
in his constitution Apostolicae Romanorum made this practice obligatory for all suburbicarian dioceses. In 1962, Pope John XXIII
in his decree Suburbicarii Sedis turned the Cardinal bishops into mere titular bishops and appointed diocesan bishops for Velletri-Segni, Porto-Santa-Rufina, Frascati, Palestrina, Albano and Sabina. The diocese of Ostia — the titular diocese of the Dean of the College of Cardinals
— was merged with the diocese of Rome and was henceforth administered by the Roman vicar general
. Though the diocesan bishops exercise all episcopal administrative functions, the Cardinal bishops still formally take possession of their titular dioceses.
Diocese
A 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...
s located in the vicinity of 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...
, whose (titular
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
) bishops form the highest-ranking order of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
s, the Cardinal Bishop
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
s.
The suburbicarian dioceses have varied slightly over time and nowadays consist of:
- the Diocese of OstiaBishop of OstiaThe Bishop of Ostia is the head of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Ostia, one of the seven suburbicarian sees of Rome. The position is now attached to the post of Dean of the College of Cardinals, as it has been since 1150, with the actual governance of the diocese entrusted to the Vicar General of...
(since 1150 the see of the Dean of the College of CardinalsDean of the College of CardinalsThe Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such always holds the rank of Cardinal Bishop. The Dean is not necessarily the longest-serving member of the whole College...
) - the Diocese of Velletri-SegniRoman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Velletri-SegniThe Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Velletri-Segni is one of the suburbicarian dioceses, Catholic dioceses in Italy close to Rome with a special status and a Cardinal Bishop, the bishop of Velletri-Segni. Historically, the see of Velletri was combined with the see of Ostia from 1105 to...
- the Diocese of Porto-Santa RufinaRoman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Porto-Santa RufinaThe Diocese of Porto and Santa-Rufina is a suburbicarian see of the Holy Roman Church and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy...
- the Diocese of Frascati (Tusculum)Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of FrascatiThe Diocese of Frascati is a suburbicarian see of the Holy Roman Church and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, based at Frascati, near Rome. The bishop of Frascati is a Cardinal Bishop; from the Latin name of the area, the bishop has also been called Bishop of Tusculum. The bishopric in...
- the Diocese of PalestrinaRoman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Palestrinathumb|250 px|The Cathedral of Sant'Agapito in Palestrina.The Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Palestrina, , is a Roman Catholic suburbicarian diocese centered on the comune of Palestrina in Italy....
- the Diocese of AlbanoRoman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of AlbanoThe Diocese of Albano is a suburbicarian see of the Roman Catholic Church in a diocese in Italy, comprising seven towns in the Province of Rome...
- the Diocese of Sabina-Poggio MirtetoRoman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina-Poggio MirtetoThe Diocese of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto a suburbicarian see of the Holy Roman Church and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. Since 1842 the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina also bears the title of Abbot of Farfa...
The see of Ostia is conferred on the Dean of the College of Cardinals
Dean of the College of Cardinals
The Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such always holds the rank of Cardinal Bishop. The Dean is not necessarily the longest-serving member of the whole College...
in addition to the see he already had. (Until 1914, the Dean received the see of Ostia and Velletri in place of the see he had earlier. The sees of Ostia and Velletri were separated in 1914.) The Dean used to be the longest-serving cardinal bishop, but is now chosen by the six cardinal bishops with the approval 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...
.
The increasing involvement of the Cardinal bishops in the administration of the papal curia resulted in a detachment from their dioceses. Therefore some of them, in particular the Bishops of Sabina and Velletri, have for centuries had auxiliary bishops and in 1910 Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
in his constitution Apostolicae Romanorum made this practice obligatory for all suburbicarian dioceses. In 1962, Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
in his decree Suburbicarii Sedis turned the Cardinal bishops into mere titular bishops and appointed diocesan bishops for Velletri-Segni, Porto-Santa-Rufina, Frascati, Palestrina, Albano and Sabina. The diocese of Ostia — the titular diocese of the Dean of the College of Cardinals
Dean of the College of Cardinals
The Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such always holds the rank of Cardinal Bishop. The Dean is not necessarily the longest-serving member of the whole College...
— was merged with the diocese of Rome and was henceforth administered by the Roman vicar general
Cardinal Vicar
Cardinal Vicar is a title commonly given to the vicar general of the diocese of Rome for the portion of the diocese within Italy. The official title, as given in the Annuario Pontificio , is "Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome"...
. Though the diocesan bishops exercise all episcopal administrative functions, the Cardinal bishops still formally take possession of their titular dioceses.