Roman Catholic Diocese of Imola
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Diocese of Imola Dioecesis Imolensis |
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Cathedral of Imola
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| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Ecclesiastical province | Bologna |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 740 km2 (290 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2013) 145,000 135,000 (93.1%) |
| Parishes | 108 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 4th Century |
| Cathedral | Basilica Cattedrale di S. Cassiano Martire |
| Secular priests | 101 (diocesan) 12 (religious Orders) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Tommaso Ghirelli |
| Emeritus Bishops | Giuseppe Fabiani |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Imola (Latin: Diocesis Imolensis) is a territory in Romagna, northern Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bologna. The current bishop is Tommaso Ghirelli. It is noted for having had a number of its bishops elected to the Papacy.
The Christian origins of Imola are obscure. The episcopal see certainly antedates St. Ambrose, who sede vacante ordered the bishop of Vigorenza to visit the church of Imola and provide for the election of a pastor. The martyrdom of Saint Cassian is likewise certain, being described by Prudentius from pictures seen by him in the cathedral of Imola.
In 435 Emperor Valentinian III built the church of S. Maria in Arenula. The bishop then was Cornelius, whose archdeacon Peter was appointed Bishop of Ravenna by Pope Sixtus III and is known as St. Peter Chrysologus. His successor was Projectus, at whose ordination as bishop Chrysologus gave a magnificent eulogy of Bishop Cornelius. Chrysologus himself was buried at Imola, having died in his native city. His tombstone, discovered in 1698, was a rude block on which was written PETRUS. Of the gifts given by Chrysologus to the church of Imola there is still preserved a paten, with the figure of a lamb on an altar, surrounded by the metrical legend Quem plebs tunc cara crucis agnum fixit in ara. Hostia fit gentis primi pro labe parentis. These leonine verses, however, indicate a much more recent date.
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