The Archdiocese of Bologna is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Italy. The cathedra is in the cathedral church of San Pietro, Bologna. The current archbishop is Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who was installed in 2015. The Archdiocese of Bologna is a metropolitan archdiocese and has three suffragan dioceses within its ecclesiastical province: the Diocese of Imola, the Diocese of Faenza-Modigliana, and the Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio.

History

A detailed list of the various governments that have ruled Bologna is provided by Giovanni Battista Guidicini. In 1527, the Holy See became the absolute ruler of Bologna, and was represented by a Legatus a latere and a Vice-Legate. On 22 February 1530, Pope Clement VII crowned the Emperor Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor in Bologna, the last such event in history. The bishopric of Bologna was founded in the 3rd century. Originally it was a suffragan (under the supervision) of the diocese of Milan, but at the end of the 5th century became a suffragan of Ravenna. Because of the schism of the Antipope Clement III, Pope Paschal II, at the Council of Guastalla in October 1106, released Bologna from obedience to the church of Ravenna, and made it directly dependent on the papal See; but on 7 August 1118 Pope Gelasius II restored the previous status. Bishop Victor, therefore, enjoyed the privilege of being consecrated a bishop by Pope Paschal II in 1108. But when he came to die in 1129, the Bolognese resisted the demands of Archbishop Gualterius of Ravenna that he should consecrate the newly elected Bishop Henricus. The papal Legate, Gerardus of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, heard the dispute in his court on 13 April 1130, and Archbishop Gualterius established his right to consecrate the bishops of Bologna. In 973, Bishop Albertus participated in a provincial synod of the ecclesiastical province of Ravenna, presided over by Archbishop Honestus, and held in the village of Marzalia in the diocese of Parma. Bishop Albertus complained to the assembly that his diocese was so poor that he was not able to sustain his clergy or his churches, on top of which Bishop Ubertus of Parma had taken control of certain territories near Parma which were the property of the diocese of Bologna. Ubertus replied that he had received them from his predecessors. The Archbishop and bishops agreed with the Bishop of Parma, chastised Albertus for raising the subject in the synod, and ordering both parties not to raise the matter again. A major earthquake struck Bologna on Christmas Day, 1222, causing the vaults of the cathedral ceiling to collapse. Another severe earthquake occurred on 21 April 1223, centered at Cremona; and a third centered in Bologna in 1229. In the winter of 1410, Pope Alexander V and the Papal Court arrived in Bologna, on their way from Pistoria (where plague had been detected) toward Rome, which had fallen to papal forces on 1 January 1410. Alexander died, however, while he was still in Bologna, on 4 May, waiting for the pacification of Rome and its neighborhood. A Conclave, therefore, took place in Bologna, beginning on 14 May and concluding on 17 May with the election of Cardinal Baldassare Cossa, the Legate of Bologna, who took the name John XXIII. Pope Leo X visited Bologna from 8 December 1515 through 18 February 1516, where he held negotiations with King Francis I of France. Their talks resulted in the abrogation of the French Pragmatic Sanction and the conclusion of a new Concordat between the Papacy and France. In 1568, as one of his efforts to implement the decrees of the Council of Trent, Bishop Gabriele Paleotti established the diocesan seminary of Bologna.

Archdiocese and metropolitan

In 1582 the diocese of Bologna was raised to the status of a metropolitan archbishopric by Pope Gregory XIII in the bull Universi orbis of 10 December 1582, which removed it from the ecclesiastical province of Ravenna. It was assigned as suffragans the diocese of Faenza and the diocese of Imola. In a decree of the Vatican Sacred Congregation of Bishops of 8 December 1976, a new arrangement of certain dioceses in ecclesiastical provinces was announced; the diocese of Ferrara was made a suffragan of the Archbishop of Bologna, though the Archbishop of Ferrara was allowed to keep the title of archbishop. Nine of the early bishops have been recognized as saints in popular culture, and three other bishops and three archbishops have been elected to the Papacy as Pope Innocent VII (1404), Pope Nicholas V (1447), Pope Julius II (1503), Pope Gregory XV (1621), Pope Benedict XIV (1740) and Pope Benedict XV (1914).

Cathedral and Chapter

Bishop Adalfredus (after 1031 – 1055) suffered many sleepless nights, worried about the number and behavior of his Canons and their hangers-on. Finally, exasperated, he acted. On 16 August 1045, citing decrees of the holy Fathers that in each Church clerics should be ordained in accordance with the ability of that church to support those clerics ministering at the altar, he issued a decree in which he limited the number of Canons in the Cathedral of Bologna to fifty. Specifically mentioned are the Archpriest, the Cantor, and the Archdeacon. To support them, he granted them three parts of the ten percent tithe which was the episcopal income. The Canons of the Cathedral Chapter were, according to information laid before the pope, interfering with the jurisdiction of the Archdeacon of Bologna. On 28 March 1219, Pope Honorius III wrote to the clergy and people to support the Archdeacon against the rebellion of the Canons. So that the Church of Bologna might not be despoiled of its rights if there were no person in the Chapter to have oversight of it, on 22 April 1219 Honorius granted the Archdeacons of Bologna full and free administration, spiritual and temporal, to correct and reform and decide matters. In separate letters, the Pope warned the Chapter and the Bishop not to interfere with the legitimate and canonical rights and jurisdiction of the Archdeacon. In 1687, the Chapter of the Cathedral of S. Peter was composed of four dignities and sixteen Canons. In 1842 there were eighteen Canons. The dignities were: the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Provost, and the Primicerius.

Synods

A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See. In 1535, a diocesan synod was held by Bishop Agostino Zanetti, the suffragan bishop of Bologna under Cardinal Alessandro Campeggio (1526–1553), and another in 1547. Cardinal Gabriele Paleotti (1566–1597) held a diocesan synod on 16 October 1566, another in 1580, and another in 1594. Cardinal Alessandro Ludovisi (1612–1621) held a diocesan synod on 11 June 1620. Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi (1621–1632) held a Congregationn of the diocese's archpriests on 9 March 1623, and then a diocesan synod on 8 June 1623. He held another on 30 May 1624. On 8 June 1634, Cardinal Girolamo Colonna (1632–1645) held a diocesan synod. Cardinal Girolamo Boncompagni (1651–1684) presided over a diocesan synod on 15 October 1654. Cardinal Giacomo Boncompagni (1690–1731) presided over a diocesan synod in Bologna on 17–19 June 1698. A diocesan synod was held in Bologna by Cardinal Andrea Giovanetti (1775–1800) on 2–4 September 1788. Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro held a synod in 1962. In 1586, Cardinal Paleotti held the first provincial synod of the ecclesiastical province of Bologna.

List of bishops and archbishops

An old list of the bishops of Bologna, found along with the records of the synod of 1310, and perhaps compiled around that time, exists. The following is a list of the bishops and archbishops of Bologna from 313 to the present day.

Bishops

to 1000

1000 to 1400

after 1400

Archbishops

Deaneries and Parishes of the Archdiocese of Bologna

Deanery of Bologna Centro

It includes the whole territory of Bologna City Centre:

Deanery of Bologna Ravone

It includes the territories of the Reno and Saragozza boroughs:

Deanery of Bologna Sud-Est

It includes the territories of the Savena and Santo Stefano boroughs and the municipality of Sasso Marconi:

Deanery of Bologna Nord

It includes the territories of the San Vitale, Navile and San Donato boroughs, as well as the municipalities of Castel Maggiore and Granarolo dell'Emilia:

Navile Borough

San Vitale Borough

San Donato Borough

Municipality of Castel Maggiore

Municipality of Granarolo dell'Emilia

Deanery of Bologna Ovest

It includes the territory of the Borgo Panigale Borough, as well as the Municipalities of Casalecchio di Reno, Anzola dell'Emilia, Calderara di Reno, and Zola Predosa:

Deanery of Persiceto - Castelfranco

This deanery includes the municipalities of San Giovanni in Persiceto, Castelfranco Emilia, and parts of Sala Bolognese, Sant'Agata Bolognese, and Crevalcore:

Deanery of Cento

It includes the communes of Cento, Pieve di Cento, Castello d'Argile, and Terre del Reno:

Deanery of Galliera

It includes the territories of Galliera, Baricella, Malalbergo, San Pietro in Casale, San Giorgio di Piano, Bentivoglio, Poggio Renatico, and Minerbio:

Deanery of Budrio

It includes the territory of Budrio, Medicina, and Molinella:

Deanery of Castel San Pietro Terme

It includes the territories of Castel San Pietro Terme, Castel Guelfo, and parts of Casalfiumanese, whose territory is mostly part of the Diocese of Imola:

Deanery of San Lazzaro-Castenaso

This deanery includes the territories of San Lazzaro di Savena, Castenaso, Pianoro, Ozzano dell'Emilia and parts of Monterenzio:

Deanery of Setta (river)-Savena-Sambro (river)

It includes the territories of Loiano, Monghidoro, Monterenzio, Marzabotto, Vado (Monzuno), Castiglione dei Pepoli, Rioveggio, and San Benedetto Val di Sambro:

Deanery of Vergato

It includes the territories of Vergato, Castel d'Aiano, and Grizzana Morandi:

Deanery of Porretta Terme

It includes the territories of Alto Reno Terme, Camugnano, Castel di Casio, Gaggio Montano, and Lizzano in Belvedere:

Deanery of Bazzano and Valsamoggia

This includes the territory of the former municipalities of Bazzano, Castello di Serravalle, Crespellano, Monteveglio, and Savigno, together with the municipality of Monte San Pietro:

Patrimony

In 2012 the owner of FAAC, an international automatic gate manufacturer, Michelangelo Manini died. He left his entire estate worth an estimated €1.7 billion euro to the diocese, including 66% of FAAC shares. Eventually the Archdiocese acquired the entire company. Cardinal Caffarra established a three person trust to manage the business with the diocese receiving a share of this. In 2015 in received €5 million, in 2019 it was €10 million. This money was distributed to schools and the poor, the homeless and migrants.

Books

Reference works for bishops

Studies