Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi

The Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi ( Italian: di Piana degli Albanesi Eparchia, Alb. Eparhia e hores së Arbëreshëvet, Latin: Eparchia Planensis Albanensium ) is an eparchy, ie a diocese with Greek rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Sicily. It is one of two Italo- Albanian dioceses in Italy. The Eparchy of the Church belongs to Region of Sicily, but is not associated with ecclesiastical province, but immediat, ie directly subordinate to the Holy See.

General

In addition to the San Demetrio in Piana degli cathedral there Albanesi 11 other churches in the eparchy. Other cities that belong to the Eparchy are Contessa Entellina with 6 churches, Mezzojuso with 9 churches, Palazzo Adriano with 8 churches and Santa Cristina Gela with a church.

The Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio in Palermo, called La Martorana is also the seat of the parish of San Nicolò dei Greci for all residents in Palermo faithful with Byzantine rite.

History

In the 15th and 16th centuries, many Albanians fled from the Turks and Greeks in southern Italy and Sicily, where they founded new settlements. They preserved the customary in the Eastern Church Byzantine Rite, which was later also supported by the Holy See. They talked until the 17th century, close relations with the semi-autonomous Christian community of Himara in Albania. Multiple mission priests were sent there. 1734 founded the Albanian priest Giorgio Guzzetta with the support of the Archbishop, the Greco - Albanian seminar in Palermo, where from now on most of the priests of the Byzantine rite were trained.

Until the 20th century, these communities were under Byzantine rite with the respective Roman Catholic local bishops of the Latin dioceses. After 1917 in southern Italy already own diocese ( " eparchy " ) was built for the communities with the Byzantine rite the Eparchy Lungro, took place on 26 October 1937, the erection of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi for the Italo- Albanian communities in Sicily. During the Eparchy initially belonged to only the municipalities with the Byzantine rite, her 1960, lying on their territory parishes were affiliated with the Latin rite.

The Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi is banded together with the Eparchy Lungro and Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, a Territorial Abbey of the Byzantine rite in the vicinity of Rome, in a conference organization, the Italo- Albanian Church. In 2004 kept the three districts jurisdiction in the Basilica of Grottaferrata their second joint synod, the first in 1940 had taken place at the same location.

Bishops

From 1937 to 1967, the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi was passed through an apostolic administrator. 1967 Giuseppe Perniciaro was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Piana degli Albanesi for the first Eparch until then.