Roman Catholic Diocese of Lugano

Last updated
Diocese of Lugano

Dioecesis Luganensis

Diocesi di Lugano
Facciata Cattedrale di Lugano.jpg
Location
Country Switzerland
MetropolitanImmediately exempt to the Holy See
Statistics
Area2,811 km2 (1,085 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2019)
353,920
247,800 (70%)
Information
Denomination Catholic Church
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman and Ambrosian
Established8 March 1971
Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Lawrence (Lugano)
Patron saint Charles Borromeo
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishopvacant
Apostolic AdministratorAlain de Raemy
Vicar GeneralErnesto Storelli
Bishops emeritus
Map
Bistuemer CH 2006 Lugano.svg
Website
Website of the Diocese

The Diocese of Lugano (Latin: Dioecesis Luganensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Switzerland covering the canton of Ticino. The diocese immediately subject to the Holy See. In 2004, there were 233,017 baptised persons of 306,846 inhabitants. It has as its principal patron Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, and as a secondary patron Abundius, Bishop of Como.

Contents

History

The Diocese of Lugano was erected by a Bull of Leo XIII (7 September 1888). The territory covered is that of the Swiss canton of Ticino, where the population is almost entirely Catholic and Italian is the common language.

Before the Diocese of Lugano was founded, the Canton of Ticino was under the jurisdiction, in ecclesiastical matters, of bishops who were not Swiss. The smaller, northern part belonged to the Archdiocese of Milan, and, consequently, still uses the Ambrosian Rite; the other, and much larger, part of the canton belonged to the Diocese of Como.

Soon after the formation of the Canton of Ticino, in 1803, efforts were made to separate it in its church relations as well as from foreign powers and to unite it in these with the rest of Switzerland. But it was several decades before the Great Council, in 1855, went thoroughly into the matter. Without consultation with the Holy See, the Federal Council in 1859 declared the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Como and Milan to be abolished in the territory of Switzerland; after this negotiations were begun with Rome.

No settlement of the question was reached until the pontificate of Leo XIII. By the convention of 1 September 1884, made between the Curia and the Federal Council, Ticino was canonically separated from its former diocesan connections and was placed provisionally, under an administrator Apostolic, the pope appointing as administrator Bishop Lachat of Basle. After Lachat's death (1886), the new Bishopric of Ticino was formed by the Bull of circumscription "Ad universam" of Leo XIII (7 September 1888), and united with the Diocese of Basle under the title of the Diocese of Basle-Lugano.

The same year the Church of San Lorenzo in Lugano was elevated to a cathedral. The union was merely a nominal one, for, although the Bishop of Basle was called the Bishop of Lugano he exercised no rights of jurisdiction in this diocese. It was, in reality, under the independent rule of an administrator Apostolic who had the rank and power of a bishop.

He was appointed by the pope with the concurrence of the Bishop of Basle from among the members of the clergy of the Canton of Ticino. The first administrator Apostolic was Eugene Lachat; he was followed by Vincent Molo (1887–1904), and Alfred Peri-Morosini. The latter was born 12 March 1862, and was consecrated 17 April 1904.

On 8 March 1971 the apostolic administration of the Canton Ticino was separated from the diocese of Basel, and, by virtue of the bull Paroecialis et collegialis of Pope Paul VI, became an independent diocese. Giuseppe Martinoli became the first bishop of Lugano. From 1978 to 1986 Ernesto Togni was bishop of Lugano, who was succeeded in 1986 Eugenio Corecco, under whose episcopate was formed the Academic Institute of Theology of Lugano, who became a decree of the Congregation for Catholic Education of 20 November 1993 a faculty of Theology.

The most noted church of the diocese is the Cathedral of San Lorenzo at Lugano, which was built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and has a celebrated Renaissance façade; the most frequented place of pilgrimage is the shrine of the Madonna del Sasso not far from Locarno, which is the national shrine of the Canton of Ticino.

Related Research Articles

A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan", "titular archbishop" or "titular bishop", which normally goes by the status conferred on the titular see.

The Holland Mission or Dutch Mission was the common name of a Catholic Church missionary district in the Low Countries from 1592 to 1853, during and after the Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg</span> Catholic diocese in Germany

The Diocese of Magdeburg is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry</span> Eastern Catholic archeparchy in Kerala & Tamil Nadu, India

The Archeparchy of Changanacherry is a Syro-Malabar Catholic archeparchy with an area of 24,595 km2 comprising the districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and also Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Catholic dioceses in India in terms of area. Joseph Perumthottam is the current Metropolitan Archbishop, serving since 2007. Thomas Tharayil has been the auxiliary bishop since 2017. Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan is a particular church of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Established in the 10th century, is the oldest Catholic diocese in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the number of faithful, it is also the smallest. Its seat is in Trebinje.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Sion</span> Catholic diocese in Switzerland

The Diocese of Sion is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of the Alps. The history of the Bishops of Sion, of the Abbey of St. Maurice of Valais as a whole are inextricably intertwined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg</span> Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland

The Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg is a Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland, which is exempt. The original diocese of Lausanne was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Besançon, through the 18th century. The diocese of Geneva was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Vienne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin</span> Catholic archdiocese in Germany

The Archdiocese of Berlin is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The archepiscopal see is in Berlin, with the archdiocese's territory extending over Northeast Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora</span> Catholic diocese in Ireland

The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the west of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam. The deanery of Kilfenora, previously a diocese in its own right, lies in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. The ordinary is Bishop Michael Duignan who was appointed on 11 February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia–Forbes</span> Latin Catholic diocese in Australia

The Diocese of Wilcannia–Forbes is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney. The Diocese of Wilcannia–Forbes was established in 1887, initially as the Diocese of Wilcannia. The diocese adopted its current name in 1917 when six parochial districts of Diocese of Bathurst, including those of Parkes and Forbes, were added to its western neighbour. The diocese covers the Far West region of New South Wales in Australia. The Bishop's office is in Forbes but his seat is in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Broken Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco</span> Catholic archdiocese in Monaco

The Archdiocese of Monaco is an exempt Latin ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Monaco, directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Marty (bishop)</span> Swiss-born Benedictine missionary and bishop

Martin Marty was a Swiss-born Benedictine missionary and bishop in the United States. His birth name was James Joseph Alois Marty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Como</span> Roman Catholic diocese in Italy

The Diocese of Como is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan. The Bishop of Como's cathedra is in the Como Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kerala, India

The Archdiocese of Verapoly (Verapolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church, composed of Latin Catholics of Malabar and headquartered at the city of Cochin, in the south Indian state of Kerala. The archdiocese has administrative control over the suffragan dioceses of Calicut, Cochin, Kannur, Kottapuram, Sultanpet and Vijayapuram. The headquarters is located in Kochi along the Malabar Coast in India. It was originally formed as the Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar in 1657 and became a metropolitan see in 1886. Verapoly is the anglicised name of Varapuzha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaspard Mermillod</span>

Gaspard Mermillod was a Swiss Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Despite a lengthy investiture conflict with the Calvinist Canton of Geneva, he served as Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva from 1883 to 1891, having previously served as Titular Bishop of Hebron. He was made a cardinal in 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss Bishops' Conference</span> Coordination body of the Catholic dioceses in Switzerland

The Swiss Bishops' Conference is the coordinating body of the Catholic dioceses in Switzerland. It was founded in 1863 as the world's first Bishops Conference and is a member of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Eupen-Malmedy</span> Roman Catholic diocese in Belgium (1919-1925)

The diocese of Eupen-Malmedy is a former Belgian Latin Roman Catholic diocese, which existed between 1919 and 1925, and included the East Cantons.

Aurelio Bacciarini was a Swiss Roman Catholic who served as the interim administrator of the Diocese of Lugano. He was a professed member of the Servants of Charity - also known as the Guanellians - and was also the founder of the Secular Institute of the Company of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. He became known in his diocese as the "Apostle of the Sacred Heart".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Aleppo</span> Eastern Catholic eparchy in Syria

The Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Aleppo is the only eparchy of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ex hac augusta</span> 1881 papal bull by Leo XIII

Ex hac augusta Principis Apostolorum cathedra is a papal bull issued by Pope Leo XIII on 5 July 1881, by which he restored the regular Church hierarchy in Bosnia and Herzegovina after its occupation by Austria-Hungary from the Ottoman Empire, with Archdiocese of Vrhbosna seated in Sarajevo having three suffragan dioceses: Banja Luka, Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkan, with latter being under the administration of the bishop of Dubrovnik.

References


    46°00′00″N8°57′00″E / 46.0000°N 8.9500°E / 46.0000; 8.9500