Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria
| Diocese of Oria Dioecesis Uritana | |
|---|---|
 Oria Cathedral | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Ecclesiastical province | Taranto |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 921 km2 (356 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 181,694 178,700 (98.4%) |
| Parishes | 42 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 8 May 1591 |
| Cathedral | Basilica Cattedrale di S. Maria Assunta in Cielo |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Vincenzo Pisanello |
| Website | |
| www.diocesidioria.it | |
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Oria (Latin: Dioecesis Uritana) is in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Taranto.[1]
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 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.
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 23 January 2010, Pope Benedict XVI named 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 3 May 1959 and ordained to the priesthood on 23 June 1984.
Notes
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
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Coordinates: 40°30′00″N 17°38′00″E / 40.5000°N 17.6333°E