The Diocese of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi (Latin: Dioecesis Melphictensis-Rubensis-Iuvenacensis-Terlitiensis) is a Latindiocese of the Catholic Church in Apulia, southern Italy, which was established in 1986, when the diocese of Molfetta-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi was united with the diocese of Ruvo. Giovinazzo is only four miles south-east of Molfetta along the Adriatic coast, and Ruvo only ten miles inland to the south-west; Terlizzi is likewise only four miles from Molfetta, some four miles nearer than Ruvo.[1] The historical diocese of Molfetta was expanded in 1818. The current diocese is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto.[2][3]
History
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The name Molfetta appears nowhere before the 10th century.[4] The diocese of Molfetta is not older than the 11th century.[5] The first bishop of Molfetta of whom there is any record was Bishop Joannes, who issued a charter in 1136. The diocese was at first a suffragan (subordinate diocese) of Bari, but in 1484 it became immediately dependent upon Rome.
Boniface VIII and Bishop Paulus
Following the death of Pope Nicholas IV on 4 April 1292, a dozen cardinals took 27 months to agree on a successor, the hermit monk Pietro del Morrone, a man in his mid-80s. The cardinals wanted him to come to Perugia, where the Conclave had taken place, but he was convinced by Cardinal Pietro Colonna, the agent of Charles II, King of Naples, to go to Naples for his coronation. The new pope, Celestine V as Pietro del Morrone called himself, reserved for himself all the benefices in the Church which were vacant or would become vacant.But within five months, it became apparent that Celestine was not up to the tasks involved in being pope, and he decided, on the urging of many people, to resign.[6] His successor, Boniface VIII (Benedetto Caetani), was elected on Christmas Eve, 1294. Three days later, he revoked all of the provisions in anticipation of vacancies made by his predecessors, Nicholas IV and Celestine V, as well as those made by himself and Cardinal Gerardo Bianchi when they were legates in France. He also suspended all holders of benefices which had been made without the consent of the cardinals in consistory, contrary to practice.[7]
These circumstances directly affected the Church of Molfetta. Celestine V had specially reserved the appointment of the next bishop to the papacy. When he heard that the bishop of Molfetta had died, he granted to Cardinal Thomas de Aquila (d'Ocre)[8] and Cardina Pietro Colonna by letter the right to provide a bishop for the diocese of Molfetta. With these faculties, they provided Fra Petrus, O.Min., whom Celestine later confirmed, and granted Petrus the privilege of being consecrated by whichever bishop he should choose. He was consecrated by the bishop of Civitas,[9] Boniface VIII's bull, however, had suspended all of Celestine's provisions, and additionally the provision of Petrus, O.Min. had been irregular, at least in Boniface's view, and Petrus too was suspended.[10] After investigating the entire affair, and taking counsel with the cardinals, Boniface VIII himself preferred (appointed) Petrus, O.Min. to the post of bishop of Molfetta on 2 December 1295.[11]
Pope Innocent VIII (Cibo), who had been Bishop of Molfetta from 1472 to 1484, granted the diocese the privilege of being immediately subject to the Roman pontiff, without any other Metropolitan.[12]
In 1600 the city of Molfetta had a population of around 10,000; in 1775 it was around 9,000. In the city were five religious houses for men, and one monastery of male monks. In 1775 there were four religious houses.[13]
Following the expulsion of the French, a concordat with Naples was signed on 16 February 1818, and ratified by Pope Pius VII on 25 February 1818. King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies issued the concordat as a law on 21 March 1818.[14] The right of the king to nominate the candidate for a vacant bishopric was recognized, as in the Concordat of 1741, subject to papal confirmation (preconisation).[15] On 27 June 1818, Pius VII issued the bull De Ulteriore, in which, among many other things, he dealt with dioceses which had been directly subject to the Holy See. The decision was made to suppress permanently the united diocese of Giovinazzo and diocese of Terlizzi, once the current incumbent had vacated the seats, and to incorporate the two dioceses into the diocese of Molfetta.[16]
On 4 March 1836, Pope Gregory XVI, in the bull "Aeterni Patris", united the dioceses of Giovenazzo and Terlizzi with the diocese of Molfetta. The dioceses were under the governance of one and the same bishop, aeque principaliter.[17] It was determined that there would be only one priestly seminary for the three dioceses, in Molfetta. Molfetta remained directly subject to the Holy See.[18]
Diocesan Reorganization
Following the Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, Christus Dominus chapter 40,[19]Pope Paul VI ordered a reorganization of the ecclesiastical provinces in southern Italy. He ordered consultations among the members of the Congregation of Bishops in the Vatican Curia, the Italian Bishops Conference, and the various dioceses concerned.[20]
On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. The Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese.
On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Molfetta, Giovenazza, Terlizzi and Ruvo be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Dioecesis Melphictensis-Rubensis-Iuvenacensis-Terlitiensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Molfetta, whose cathedral was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedrals in Giovenazza, Terlizzi, and Ruvo were to have the honorary titles of "co-cathedral"; the Chapters were each to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Molfetta, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the suppressed dioceses. The new diocese was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto.[21]
Chapter and cathedral
Under Bishop Simon Alopa (1386–1401), the number of Canons in the Cathedral Chapter was fixed at twenty-four, reducing the number from thirty-six.[22] In addition to the Canons there were six dignities in the Chapter, the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, two Primicerii (Cantores), the Penitentiary and the Sacristan.[23] The current Chapter preserves these six dignities, but there are only eleven Canons and two Honorary Canons.[24]
Latin Name: Melphictensis-Iuvenacensis-Terlitiensis United: 4 March 1836 with Diocese of Giovinazzo e Terlizzi Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Bari (-Canosa)
Giovanni Constantini (19 May 1837 – 19 Jan 1852 Died)[67]
^ J.N.D. Kelly and M.J. Walsh, Oxford Dictionary of Popes, second edition (Oxford UP 2010), pp. 208-210.
^Bartholmew Cotton, "Historia Anglicana," in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptorum Tomus XXVIII (1887; Leipzig: K. Hiersemann 1925), p. 612: "Die vero sancti Iohannis dominus papa revocavit omnes provisiones vacaturas factas tempore Celestini et Nicholai, predecessorum suorum, et etiam per ipsum et per dominum Gerardum in Francia. Suspendit etiam omnes archiepiscopos, episcopos et alios, qui habuerunt dignitates per Celestinum sine consilio cardinalium sive non factas ut consuevit, in consistorio."
^Tommaso of S. Cecilia was a new cardinal, appointed only on 18 September 1294. He belonged to the congregation of Benedictine monks led by Celestine, later called the "Celestines".
^Boniface VIII, "Rationis Oculis," 2 December 1295, in: Bullarium Franciscanum Romanorum Pontificum, Volume 4 (Rome: Typis SC de Propaganda Fide 1768), p. 375. F. Ughelli (1716), Italia Sacra Vol. 1 (Venice: Sebastianus Coleti 1717), p. 917.
^"Nosque postea Divina dispositione ad apicem Summi Apostolatus assumpti provisionem hujusmodi de te factam ex certis et legitimis causis, non tamen personae tuae merito, duximus revocandam."
^Bullarii Romani Continuatio Tomus 25 (Rome 1853), p. 59 §. 26: "Pari autem modo ex nunc pro tunc et quando episcopales invicem unitae ecclesiae Juvenacensis, et Terlitiensis ex persona moderni earum antistitis quandocumque vacaverint easdem perpetuo extinguimus atque supprimimus, illarumque civitates, ac dioeceses episcopali ecclesiae Melphitensi aggregamus et incorporamus."
^Christus Dominus 40. Therefore, in order to accomplish these aims this sacred synod decrees as follows: 1) The boundaries of ecclesiastical provinces are to be submitted to an early review and the rights and privileges of metropolitans are to be defined by new and suitable norms. 2) As a general rule all dioceses and other territorial divisions that are by law equivalent to dioceses should be attached to an ecclesiastical province. Therefore dioceses which are now directly subject to the Apostolic See and which are not united to any other are either to be brought together to form a new ecclesiastical province, if that be possible, or else attached to that province which is nearer or more convenient. They are to be made subject to the metropolitan jurisdiction of the bishop, in keeping with the norms of the common law. 3) Wherever advantageous, ecclesiastical provinces should be grouped into ecclesiastical regions for the structure of which juridical provision is to be made.
^G. Feliciani (2005), "Il riordinamento delle diocesi in Italia da Pio XI a Giovanni Paolo II," in: L. Vaccaro (ed.), Storia della Chiesa in Europa tra ordinamento politico-amministrativo e strutture ecclesiastiche, Brescia 2005, pp. 283-300.
^Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 735-738.
^Ughelli, I, p. 916; Ughelli includes the six dignities among the twenty-four canons. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 265 note 1; VI, p. 285 note 1.
^Diocesi di Molfetta Ruvo Giovinazzo Terlizzi, Capitolo Cattedrale, retrieved: 2017-03-19. (in Italian)
^An unnamed bishop of Molfetta took part in the consecration of the major church at Montecassino by Pope Alexander II on 1 October 1071. De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 153 with note 1.
^Kehr, p. 351. This is a grant by Bishop Ioannes to Abbot Simon of the monastery of Sma. Trinità de Cava. Alessandro di Meo (1805). Annali Critico-Diplomatici Del Regno Di Napoli Della Mezzana Età (in Italian). Vol. Tomo decimo (10). Naples: Stamperia Orsiniana. p. 47. Carabellese, pp. 17-18. Cappelletti, p. 395. De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 153 with note 2.
^De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 153 with note 3.
^Bishop Ioannes was present at the Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III. J.-D. Mansi, Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice 1778), pp. 215 and 461. Kehr, p. 351. Kamp, p. 644. De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 153 with note 4.
^Accarinus might be identified with a bishop-elect whose name is unknown, attested in 1200. He died between 1218 and 1222. Kamp, pp. 644-645. De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 153 with note 5.
^Risandus is claimed to have died on 5 August 1271 by Kamp, pp. 645-647. Cf. Eubel, I, p. 335 with note 1.
^Richardus: Gams, p. 898. Eubel, I, p. 335 with note 1.
^Petrus: De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 154 with notes 8, 9.
^Angelus: Kamp, p. 647. De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 154 with notes 10, 11.
^Nicolaus: De Palma (1989), 'Contributo...", p. 154 with note 12.
^Pietro Piezi (or Piccio) was a native of Barletta: Cappelletti, p. 396.
^Del Monte had been Canon of Capaccio and a chaplain of Queen Joanna of Sicily. Cappelletti, p. 396. Eubel, I, p. 335, with note 7; II, p. 189.
^Andreas was a native of Trani. Ughelli, p. 917. Eubel, II, p. 189.
^Palmieri had been a papal chamberlain. Eubel, II, p. 189 with note 1.
^A native of Genoa, Cibo had previously been Provost of Genoa, and then Bishop of Savona (1466–1472). From 1471 to 1473 Cibo was pro-Datary of Pope Sixtus IV. He was then named a Cardinal, and in 1476 served as papal Legate in Rome while the Pope was in Viterbo. He was Governor of Siena, and papal Legate to the Emperor Frederick III and to Matthias Corvinus King of Hungary. He was Chamberlain of the College of Cardinals in 1482 and again in 1484. He resided in Rome, not in Molfetta. Giuseppe Moroni, ed. (1843). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica (in Italian). Vol. XIX. Venice: Tipografia Emiliana. p. 131. Eubel, II, p. 229.
^Lacerti: Ughelli, Italia sacra I, p. 918. Eubel, II, p. 189.
^Cardinal Ponzetti had been named a Cardinal on 1 July 1517. Ughelli, I, p. 918-919. Lorenzo Cardella (1793). Memorie storiche de cardinali della Santa romana chiesa (in Italian). Vol. Tomo quarto. Roma: Pagliarini. pp. 38–39. Eubel, III, pp. 16 no. 22; 241 with notes 4 and 5.
^Petroni had been Master of the Sacred Apostolic Palace. He was consecrated a bishop in Rome by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Leni on 2 October 1622. Gauchat, IV, p. 238 with note 4.
^Pinelli was born in Naples, and was a Master of theology (Genoa). He was named Bishop of Albenga on 29 March 1666. Gauchat, IV, pp. 76, 238 with note 5.
^Marini was a native of Genoa, and at the age of 25 he was made a Referendary of the Two Signatures (judge in the Roman Curia). He was them named Bishop of Albenga (1655–1666). When he resigned the see of Molfetta, he was named titular Archbishop of Amaseia (Turkey) on 19 January 1671, and in 1675 became Corrector in the Office of the Penitentiary. In 1676 he was transferred to the titular See of Theodosia Gauchat, IV, pp. 76 with note 5; 238 with note 6. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, pp. 80 with note 2; 265 with note 2; 375 with note 3.
^Vecchia was born in Venice in 1628. A Benedictine abbot of Santa Giustina (Padua), he had been Bishop of Andria (1690–1691), consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Orsini de Gravina (the future Pope Benedict XIII. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, pp. 85 with note 3; 265 with note 4.
^De Bellis: Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 265 with note 5.
^Effetti was born of the Roman nobility in 1660. He was Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) (Sapienza 1678). He had been Governor of Ineramna (1694-1696), and vice-Rector of Benevento. He was a Referendary of the Two Signatures (curial judge) (1701). He died in Molfetta in 1712. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 265 with note 6.
^Orlandi was born in Trecase (diocese of Alessano) in 1704, and baptized with the name Pietro Antonio Orlandi. He lectured in philosophy and theology in houses of the Celestine Congregation, and was a Consultor of the SC of Relics and Indulgences in the Roman Curia. He became an abbot in 1736, and served a three year term as secretary general of his Congregation (1736-1739). He was Procurator General of his Congregation at the Roman Curia for fifteen years (1739–1754), and was Visitor General in 1752. Celestine was consecrated a bishop in Rome on 29 September 1774 by Cardinal Giuseppe Feroni. His brother Giuseppe was Bishop of Giovinazzo (1752–1776). Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 285 with note 2.
^Antonucci: Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 286 with note 3.
Benigni, Umberto. "Diocese of Molfetta, Terlizzi, and Giovinazzo." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Retrieved: 17 Mar. 2017. [obsolete and unbalanced]
De Palma, L.M. (1989). "Contributo alla storia dell’episcopato meridionale. Cronotassi dei vescovi di Molfetta (1071-1986)," (in Italian). in Rivista di Scienze Religiose, III (1989), pp. 143-161.
Ughelli, Ferdinando; Coleti, Niccolò (1717). Italia sacra, sive De Episcopis Italiae (in Latin). Vol. Tomus primus (I). Venice: apud Sebastianum Coleti. pp. 916–920.
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