Milan's archdiocese is the largest in Europe,[4] and the one having the most priests in the world, with, as of 2021, 2,450 priests living in the diocese, among whom 1,712 are secular priests.
According to the legend, the Gospel was brought to Milan by the apostle Barnabas, and the first Bishop of Milan, Anathalon, was a disciple of that apostle. But a diocese cannot have been established there, as such, before 200, as the dioceses of the church evolved from the civil (Roman) dioceses following the reforms of Emperor Diocletian, for the list of the bishops of Milan names only five predecessors of Mirocles, who participated at the Lateran council held in 313 in Rome. During the persecutions of the third and early fourth century, several Christians suffered martyrdom and were venerated at Milan: among them Gervasius and Protasius (first persecution of Diocletian), Victor, Nabor and Felix, and Nazarius and Celsus. The persecutions ended in 313 when the Emperors Constantine I and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan which proclaimed the religious toleration in the Roman Empire.
Historically, the Milanese church has been in full communion with the Papacy. Among its bishops should be named Eustorgius I and Dionysius, who firmly opposed apostasy imposed by the Roman Emperor Constantius II. Dionysus was exiled to Cappadocia (355), while the Romans put Auxentius on the episcopal throne of Milan. At the death of Auxentius, Ambrose was elected bishop by the people of Milan (374-97). Among his successors, Simplicianus, Senator and Dacius (530-52), who lived almost always in exile at Constantinople on account of the Gothic War.
During the Lombard invasion, many things happened to the church in Milan. The Schism of the Three Chapters guaranteed autonomy of the Milanese Church for 38 years, since the Lombards were enemies of the Byzantines. At the siege of Milan by the Lombard Alboin, the Bishop Honoratus (568) sought refuge in Genoa, with a great number of his clergy, which returned to Milan only 70 years later under John the Good.
In the 10th century, the archbishops of Milan became feudatory of the Emperor extending his jurisdiction to all northwest Italy. The most distinguished of these was Ariberto da Intimiano (1018–45). As the power of the burghers grew, that of the archbishops waned, and with it the imperial authority which the prelate represented, and from the 12th century Milan became a Guelph town that fought the Emperor.[5] The archbishop Ottone Visconti in the 13th-century caused himself to be proclaimed perpetual lord, thus putting an end to the Republic of Milan and establishing the power of the House of Visconti who ruled the Duchy of Milan from 1277 to 1447.
The figure who marked the modern history of the church of Milan was Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584, who was a leading figure during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church. His pastoral efforts were followed also by his successors, such as Federico Borromeo (died 1631) and Giuseppe Pozzobonelli (died 1783).
In the 20th century, two Cardinal Archbishops of Milan were elected to the papacy: in 1922, Cardinal Achille Ratti was elected as Pope Pius XI, and in 1963 Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was elected as Pope Paul VI. The church of Milan was governed from 1979 to 2002 by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who had been a favorite of the Catholic left.
Present leadership
As of 7 July 2017, the current Metropolitan Archbishop of Milan is Archbishop Mario Enrico Delpini, who has been serving since his appointment by Pope Francis, having served previously as the Vicar-General and the Auxiliary Bishop of Milan. Delpini had succeeded the retiring Cardinal Angelo Scola, who had been in office since 2011 and had been a possible papabile.
Archbishop Delpini is assisted by four Auxiliary Bishops: Erminio De Scalzi, Luigi Stucchi, Franco Agnesi, and Paolo Martinelli. The resignations of Stucchi and De Scalzi were accepted by Pope Francis on 30 April 2020. That same day, he appointed Giovanni Raimondi and Giuseppe Vegezzi as auxiliary bishops.[1]
A list of the bishops and archbishops of Milan is engraved on a plaque in the South nave of the Cathedral of Milan, but that list contains historical errors. The list below follows the work of Eugenio Cazzani.[6]
↑ Cazzani, Eugenio; Majo, Angelo (1996). Vescovi e arcivescovi di Milano (in Italian). Milano Milano: Massimo NED. ISBN887030891X. OCLC797465268.
↑ The name of Barnabas first appears in connection with the Church of Milan in the 11th century. Lanzoni, p. 1009: "tutti i documenti e monumenti storici e liturgici anteriori al secolo XI, quelli della stessa Milano, ignorano affatto (o, meglio, escludono) l'episcopato milanese dell'apostolo Barnaba."
↑ Elected Pope Urban III in 1185, but retained the archdiocese of Milan as administrator until his death
Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1913). Italia pontificia Vol. VI. pars i. (in Latin). Berolini: Weidmann. pp.24-119.
Savio, Fedele (1904). "La «Datiana Historia», o vita dei primi vescovi di Milano," (in Italian). In Rivista di scienze storiche Vol. 1 (1904), pp. 270-282; 385-397; 480-489.
Milan Cathedral, or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary, is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbishop Mario Delpini.
Charles Borromeo was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat against the Protestant Reformation together with Ignatius of Loyola and Philip Neri. In that role he was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests. He is honoured as a saint by the Catholic Church, with a feast day on 4 November.
Angelo Scola is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, philosopher and theologian. He was Archbishop of Milan from 2011 to 2017. He served as Patriarch of Venice from 2002 to 2011. He has been a cardinal since 2003 and a bishop since 1991.
The aristocratic House of Borromeo were merchants in San Miniato around 1300 and became bankers in Milan after 1370. Vitaliano de' Vitaliani, who acquired the name of Borromeo from his uncle Giovanni, became the count of Arona in 1445. His descendants played important roles in the politics of the Duchy of Milan and as cardinals in the Catholic Reformation. In 1916, the head of the family was granted the title Prince of Angera by the King of Italy.
Giovanni Visconti (1290–1354) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, who was co-ruler in Milan and lord of other Italian cities. He also was a military leader who fought against Florence, and used force to capture and hold other cities.
The Diocese of Novara is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.
Andrea Ferrari – later adopting the middle name "Carlo" – was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as a cardinal and as the Archbishop of Milan from 1894 until his death. Ferrari was a well-regarded pastor and theologian who led two dioceses before being appointed to the prestigious Milanese archdiocese which he led until his death. But he was later accused of Modernism which led to a strained relationship with Pope Pius X who finally reconciled with Ferrari in 1912.
Karl Kajetan von Gaisruck (1769–1846) was an Austrian Cardinal and the archbishop of Milan from 1816 to 1846. He also held the title of Graf or Count.
The Archdiocese of Pesaro is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in central Italy. Its see at Pesaro was elevated to the status of metropolitan archiepiscopal see in 2000. Its suffragans are the Diocese of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola and the Archdiocese of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado.
The 1774–75 papal conclave, was convoked after the death of Pope Clement XIV and ended with the election of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Braschi, who took the name of Pius VI.
Gaspare Visconti was the Archbishop of Milan from 1584 to 1595.
The archiepiscopal seminary of Milan is the Catholic seminary of the Archdiocese of Milan.
Giovanni Arcimboldi, called the Cardinal of Novara or the Cardinal of Milan, was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. He served many times as the legate to Perugia and was both a Senator of Milan and ran the archdiocese from 1485–1488.
Federico Visconti (1617–1693) was an Italian Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan from 1681 to 1693.
Filippo Maria Visconti (1721–1801) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1784 to 1801.
Mario Enrico Delpini is an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the archbishop of Milan since his installation on 9 September 2017. He previously served as auxiliary bishop and vicar general of that archdiocese.
Francesco Bertoglio was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Rector of the Pontifical Lombard Seminary in Rome for more than twenty-five years and later Auxiliary Bishop of Milan. During World War II he sheltered dozens of Jews and political refugees and helped them evade capture by the Nazis.
Franco Maria Giuseppe Agnesi is an Italian Catholic bishop, Auxiliary Bishop of Milan since 24 May 2014.
Melchiorre Crivelli was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as General Inquisitor in the Duchy of Milan from 1518 to 1553, and as auxiliary bishop of Vercelli, Milan and Vigevano. He was an exponent of the early Catholic Reformation.
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