The Diocese of Livorno is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Tuscany. It was created in 1806. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Pisa. The current bishop is Simone Giusti. Livorno was usually called Leghorn in English.

History

The diocese was created by Pope Pius VII in the bull "Militantis Ecclesiae" of 25 September 1806, at the urging of Queen Maria Luisa, Regent of Tuscany. The town of Livorno was raised from the status of oppidum to that of civitas (city). The erection was opposed both by the Archdiocese of Pisa and the Canons of San Miniato, who would lose territory, power, and income from the change. In his bull, Pius VII cites statistics as a factor in his decision to create a new diocese: that there were about 26,000 Catholics, and in the suburbs over 46,000. In the same bull, the secular Collegiate Church of S. Francesco and its Chapter were suppressed, and the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral. A cathedral chapter was instituted, consisting of five dignities (the Provost, the Archpriest, the Archdeacon, the Dean, and the Primicerius) and fourteen Canons. The new diocese was composed of twenty-eight parishes, including eleven inside the city, four in the suburbs, two in the mountains of Livorno, five in the civil district of Colle-Salvetti, and two in Rosignano.

Bishops

Notes and references

Books