Italo-Greek Catholic Church
Encyclopedia
The Italo-Greek Catholic Church (Italian
: Chiesa cattolica italo-greca) is one of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches which, together with the Latin Church, comprise the Catholic Church. It is a particular Church
that is autonomous (sui juris) and its members are concentrated in Southern Italy
and Sicily
.
in Koine Greek.
Italo-Greek Catholics are of three races: the original Greek-speaking inhabitants of Lower Italy and Sicily, which at one time all followed the Byzantine Rite, Albanians who immigrated to Southern Italy much later in the fifteenth century and to a even lesser extant, Levantine colonies that also migrated to the region. In the fifteenth century, the original Italo-Greeks were gradually being latinized but through an influx of Albanians of the Byzantine Rite, the church began to once again flourish. As a result, it is sometimes referred to as Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church or as the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church. In these names, "Greek" refers to the Byzantine Rite and the "Italo-" and "Albanian" components refer to the nationalities and languages used in the liturgy, although Greek is the historical liturgical language.
is still preserved. In fact, Sicily was almost entirely Greek when in 831, the Arabs
began their conquest of the island causing the native Greeks to flee to mainland Italy. Between the Frankish and Arab conquests of southern Italy, the Italo-Greek church became marginalized. However, a large Albanian Arberesh population of the Greek Rite migrated to southern Italy fleeing the Ottoman
invasions, particularly after the death of Skanderbeg in 1468.
Not all of these Albanians were of Byzantine Rite, since those from northern Albania
were mainly of Latin Rite. Of the Byzantine-Rite arrivals, some were already Catholic, for example the Church of St. Vito in Piana degli Albanesi
, and others soon accepted the authority of the local Latin-Rite bishops. Their presence attracted also the remnants of the earlier Greek-speaking communities and some others who had fled from Greece proper because of the Turkish conquest. In 1595, Pope Clement VIII
promulgated an Instruction for the guidance of Latin-Rite bishops who had Greek Catholics in their dioceses, and Pope Benedict XIV
revised this Instruction completely in 1742, providing the Italo-Greeks and Italo-Albanians with a small code of canon law. Schools and seminaries for them were founded in the eighteenth century.
The twentieth century saw the foundation in 1919 of the Eparchy of Lungro in Calabria, which serves Byzantine-Rite Albanians in mainland Italy, and in 1937 of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi
for those in Sicily. The former has, for its 32,800 faithful, 29 parishes, two of which are of Latin Rite. Some of the 15 parishes subject to the Eparch of Piana degli Albanesi are also of Latin Rite. This eparchy has 28,500 faithful.
One month before the foundation of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi in 1937, the Byzantine-Rite monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, not far from Rome
, was given the status of a territorial abbacy, separating it from the jurisdiction of the local bishop. The abbot exercises jurisdiction over the monks and local faithful similar to that of a diocesan bishop.
This Italian Byzantine-Rite monastery is the only remnant of the once-flourishing Italo-Greek monastic tradition. It was founded in 1004 by St. Nilus of Rossano, a monk of Greek descent from Calabria, and has remained in continuous operation since then. It is the only one of the Italo-Greek monasteries that has survived. Most of them gradually fell into decadence, and the final blow came with their being taken over by the Kingdom of Italy when it secularized religious orders in 1866. Only the Grottaferrata monastery, considered a national monument, was allowed to continue, with the monks as its guardians. In the course of time, the civil authorities have allowed them increasing independence.
In 1880 the Holy See ordered the liturgy of the monastery to be purged of the Latin elements that had been introduced over the centuries. Vocations were sought no longer from the general Italian population, but instead chiefly among Italo-Albanians, and the monks set up new monasteries in Sicily and Calabria.
The eparchies themselves have not been organized as a Metropolitan church, and remain on an equal footing, directly subject to the Holy See
.
These eparchies allow the ordination of married men as priests, and they also govern a few Latin rite parishes within the respective territories of the eparchies.
Outside of Italy, there are two Italo-Greek communities in the United States: Our Lady of Wisdom Church in Las Vegas
, under the jurisdiction of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, and Italo-Greek Catholic Mission of Our Lady of Grace in New York, under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
.
As of 2010, the Church's membership was estimated at approximately 61,000 faithful, with two bishops, 45 parishes, 82 priests, 5 deacons, and 207 religious brothers and sisters.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Chiesa cattolica italo-greca) is one of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches which, together with the Latin Church, comprise the Catholic Church. It is a particular Church
Particular Church
In Catholic canon law, a Particular Church is an ecclesial community headed by a bishop or someone recognised as the equivalent of a bishop.There are two kinds of particular Churches:# Local particular Churches ...
that is autonomous (sui juris) and its members are concentrated in Southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Name of the Church
The name Italo-Greek Catholic Church is derived from the Italo-Greek (Italo-Græcus) demonym which was traditionally used to classify the inhabitants of Southern Italy and Sicily; people who are modern day Italians but are historically of Greek origin. The name inherited a dual meaning when it was assigned to the inhabitants of Italy and its islands (Sicily, Sardinia and formerly Corsica) who followed the Byzantine RiteByzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
in Koine Greek.
Italo-Greek Catholics are of three races: the original Greek-speaking inhabitants of Lower Italy and Sicily, which at one time all followed the Byzantine Rite, Albanians who immigrated to Southern Italy much later in the fifteenth century and to a even lesser extant, Levantine colonies that also migrated to the region. In the fifteenth century, the original Italo-Greeks were gradually being latinized but through an influx of Albanians of the Byzantine Rite, the church began to once again flourish. As a result, it is sometimes referred to as Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church or as the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church. In these names, "Greek" refers to the Byzantine Rite and the "Italo-" and "Albanian" components refer to the nationalities and languages used in the liturgy, although Greek is the historical liturgical language.
History
The Greeks first arrived in southern Italy and Sicily during the Late Bronze Age bringing with them their culture, language and religion. Their colonies flourished for centuries until Roman expansion in the 3rd century BC when then Hellenic people were either Latinized or enslaved in Rome. However, after the death of Christ, Constantinople (then Byzantium) became the 'New Rome' under the Emperor Constantine and a revival of Hellenic culture began to take root again in southern Italy and Sicily. As a result, Latin and the ensuing dialects were replaced with Greek and even ecclesiastical jurisdiction was transferred from the Roman Pontiff to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Consequently Byzantine Rite of worship became the liturgy of the Italo-Greek provinces and continued to be the rite leading up to the Great Schism when Frankish (and German) kings sought to once again latinized the southern Italians (Italo-Greeks). In some parts of southern Italy, mainly Calabria and pockets of Sicily, a form of the Greek languageGriko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language which is spoken by the Griko people in southern Italy. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika or Grekanika...
is still preserved. In fact, Sicily was almost entirely Greek when in 831, the Arabs
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
began their conquest of the island causing the native Greeks to flee to mainland Italy. Between the Frankish and Arab conquests of southern Italy, the Italo-Greek church became marginalized. However, a large Albanian Arberesh population of the Greek Rite migrated to southern Italy fleeing the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
invasions, particularly after the death of Skanderbeg in 1468.
Not all of these Albanians were of Byzantine Rite, since those from northern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
were mainly of Latin Rite. Of the Byzantine-Rite arrivals, some were already Catholic, for example the Church of St. Vito in Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi is a comune with 6,427 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo, Sicily.The town is the most important and populous Arbëreshë community in Sicily and it is the episcopal see of the Byzantine Catholic Church...
, and others soon accepted the authority of the local Latin-Rite bishops. Their presence attracted also the remnants of the earlier Greek-speaking communities and some others who had fled from Greece proper because of the Turkish conquest. In 1595, Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
promulgated an Instruction for the guidance of Latin-Rite bishops who had Greek Catholics in their dioceses, and Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV , born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758.-Life:...
revised this Instruction completely in 1742, providing the Italo-Greeks and Italo-Albanians with a small code of canon law. Schools and seminaries for them were founded in the eighteenth century.
The twentieth century saw the foundation in 1919 of the Eparchy of Lungro in Calabria, which serves Byzantine-Rite Albanians in mainland Italy, and in 1937 of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi
Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi
The Eparchia di Piana degli Albanesi , in Sicily, has been an eparchy since 1941. It was founded in 1937, and has 15 parishes, being subject to the Italo-Albanian Byzantine Church.-Territory:...
for those in Sicily. The former has, for its 32,800 faithful, 29 parishes, two of which are of Latin Rite. Some of the 15 parishes subject to the Eparch of Piana degli Albanesi are also of Latin Rite. This eparchy has 28,500 faithful.
One month before the foundation of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi in 1937, the Byzantine-Rite monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, not far from 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...
, was given the status of a territorial abbacy, separating it from the jurisdiction of the local bishop. The abbot exercises jurisdiction over the monks and local faithful similar to that of a diocesan bishop.
This Italian Byzantine-Rite monastery is the only remnant of the once-flourishing Italo-Greek monastic tradition. It was founded in 1004 by St. Nilus of Rossano, a monk of Greek descent from Calabria, and has remained in continuous operation since then. It is the only one of the Italo-Greek monasteries that has survived. Most of them gradually fell into decadence, and the final blow came with their being taken over by the Kingdom of Italy when it secularized religious orders in 1866. Only the Grottaferrata monastery, considered a national monument, was allowed to continue, with the monks as its guardians. In the course of time, the civil authorities have allowed them increasing independence.
In 1880 the Holy See ordered the liturgy of the monastery to be purged of the Latin elements that had been introduced over the centuries. Vocations were sought no longer from the general Italian population, but instead chiefly among Italo-Albanians, and the monks set up new monasteries in Sicily and Calabria.
Structure
There are three ecclesiastical jurisdictions composing the Italo-Greek Catholic Church:- Eparchy of Lungro
- Eparchy of Piana degli AlbanesiEparchy of Piana degli AlbanesiThe Eparchia di Piana degli Albanesi , in Sicily, has been an eparchy since 1941. It was founded in 1937, and has 15 parishes, being subject to the Italo-Albanian Byzantine Church.-Territory:...
- Territorial abbey of Santa Maria di GrottaferrataGrottaferrataGrottaferrata, Italy is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, 20 km south east of Rome. It is bounded by other communes, Frascati, Rocca di Papa, Marino, and Rome.-History:...
The eparchies themselves have not been organized as a Metropolitan church, and remain on an equal footing, directly subject to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
These eparchies allow the ordination of married men as priests, and they also govern a few Latin rite parishes within the respective territories of the eparchies.
Outside of Italy, there are two Italo-Greek communities in the United States: Our Lady of Wisdom Church in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, under the jurisdiction of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, and Italo-Greek Catholic Mission of Our Lady of Grace in New York, under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
.
As of 2010, the Church's membership was estimated at approximately 61,000 faithful, with two bishops, 45 parishes, 82 priests, 5 deacons, and 207 religious brothers and sisters.
See also
- Albanian Byzantine Catholic ChurchAlbanian Byzantine Catholic ChurchThe Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church is an autonomous Byzantine Rite particular Church in communion with Rome, whose members live in Albania...
- Albanian Orthodox ChurchAlbanian Orthodox ChurchThe Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is one of the newest autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. It declared its autocephaly in 1922, and gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1937....
- Church of GreeceChurch of GreeceThe Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
Sources
- Oriente Cattolico (Vatican City: The Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches, 1974)
- Annuario PontificioAnnuario PontificioThe Annuario Pontificio is the annual directory of the Holy See. It lists all the popes to date and all officials of the Holy See's departments...
- Fortescue, Adrian. The Uniate Eastern Churches: the Byzantine Rite in Italy, Sicily, Syria and Egypt. Ed. George D. Smith. New York: F. Ungar, 1923. Print.
External links
- "The Italo-Albanian Catholic Church," in The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey, by Ronald Roberson, on the CNEWA website.