Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria
Encyclopedia
The Italian Catholic diocese of Oria is in Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...

. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Taranto.

History

It would appear that Oria, in early times, had bishops of its own, because there is a record on a slab in the cathedral, dating from the eighth or ninth century, in which there is mention of a Bishop Theodosius, not one of the bishops of Brindisi. When Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

 was destroyed by the Saracens in the ninth century, its bishops established their see at Oria and called themselves Bishops of Brindisi and Oria, even after their return to their former capital.

In 979 Bishop Andrew was slain by Porphyrius.

The town was erected into an episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

 in 1591, following the death of the Spaniard Bernardino de Figueroa
Bernardino de Figueroa
Bernardino de Figueroa was a Spanish composer, afterwards Bishop of Brindisi in Italy.Figueroa entered the chapel choir in 1518 and was the first maestro de capilla at the Royal Chapel of Granada till 1551, being succeeded by Rodrigo de Ceballos in 1561...

 of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni
The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostium, in Apulia, has carried its present name since 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lecce....

; its first bishop was Vincent Tufo.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria is 921 square miles (2,385.4 km²). It has a total population of 183,300, of which 180,000 are Catholic. There are 117 priests, 6 permanent deacons, and 265 religious.

On Saturday, January 23, 2010, the Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

, named The Reverend Father Vincenzo Pisanello of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Otranto, Italy, Episcopal Vicar for Administration and Pastor of the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Galatina, Italy, as the Bishop-elect of Oria. He was born in Galatina on May 3, 1959, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 23, 1984. He will be consecrated and installed as Bishop of Oria on Thursday, April 8, 2010.
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