Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi / Hora e Arbëreshëvet Planen(sis) Albanensium Eparchia di Piana degli Albanesi Eparhia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet |
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Location | |
Country | Italy |
Territory | Piana degli Albanesi, Contessa Entellina, Mezzojuso, Palazzo Adriano, Santa Cristina Gela and Palermo |
Ecclesiastical province | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
Statistics | |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2010) 30,000 28,500 (95%) |
Parishes | 15 |
Information | |
Denomination | Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church |
Rite | Byzantine Rite |
Established | 26 October 1937 |
Cathedral | Cathedral of St Demetrius the Martyr (Piana degli Albanesi) |
Co-cathedral | Co-cathedral of St Nicholas (Palermo) |
Patron saint | Demetrius |
Secular priests | 31 |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro |
Apostolic Administrator | Paolo Romeo |
Emeritus Bishops |
Ercole Lupinacci Sotir Ferrara |
Map | |
Website | |
eparchiapiana.it |
The Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi (Italian: Eparchia di Piana degli Albanesi; Albanian: Eparhia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet), is an eparchy (Eastern Catholic diocese) of the Italo-Albanian (Byzantine/Greek) Catholic Church sui iuris (Byzantine Rite in Albanese language and Greek language) covering the Italian island of Sicily, where it has 15 parishes.
Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cattedrale di S. Demetrio Megalomartire dedicated to the marty Deemetrio, in Piana degli Albanesi, province of Palermo. It also has a Marian Co-Cathedral, which is a World Heritage Site: Concatedral Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio Concatedral Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, in Palermo.
On February 6, 1784, was established the Ordinariate of Silicia, the first jurisdiction with on ordinary for this particular church sui iuris, and appointed to it the first titular bishop of the Byzantine-Orthodox Rite for the Albanians of Sicily: Giorgio Stassi, Titular Bishop of Lampsacus. Before, the Albanians faithful and their Orthodox priests they had no right and were at risk in assimilation in the Roman rite.
On October 26, 1937, the Eparchy of Piana dei Greci was created by promoting the Ordinariate of Silicia and transferring to it territories from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Monreale (both on Sicily).
On October 25, 1941, the Eparchy (Diocese) of Piana dei Greci was renamed as Eparchy of Piana degli Abanesi / Hora e Arbëreshëvet.