The Italian Catholic diocese of Oria is in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Taranto.[1]
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 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 in 1591, following the death of the Spaniard Bernardino de Figueroa of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni; its first bishop was Vincent Tufo.[2]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria is 921 square miles (2,390 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, 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.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.