Diocese of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea


The Diocese of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Calabria, southern Italy, created in 1986. In that year the historical Diocese of Mileto was united with the Diocese of Nicotera-Tropea. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova.
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History

The town of Mileto was founded as a fortress by Roger I, Count of Sicily in 1058, and he resided there from time to time, dealing with the rebels of Calabria. It was Count Roger who petitioned the pope to create a diocese at Mileto. Mileto was made an episcopal see by Pope Gregory VII in 1073, who suppressed the diocese of Vibona permanently and transferred its territory and assets to Mileto. The Pope personally consecrated its first bishop, Arnolfo.
Pope Urban II visited Mileto in June 1091. On 3 October 1093, Urban II confirmed the privileges of the diocese of Mileto, and the suppression of the diocese of Tauriana and the diocese of Vibona.
Roger II, King of Sicily, was born and baptized in Mileto in 1095.
On 23 December 1121 Pope Callixtus II confirmed once again the union of the diocese of Mileto with the diocese of Tauriana and diocese of Vibona, the latter destroyed by the Saracens. He also granted the plea of Bishop Gaufredus that bishops of Mileto would continue in perpetuity to be consecrated by the Pope personally, as had been the case with his predecessors.
The earthquake of 1783 destroyed the cathedral, built by Count Roger, who also built the monastery of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Michael for Greek Basilian monks.

Diocesan reorganization

The Second Vatican Council, in order to ensure that all Catholics received proper spiritual attention, decreed the reorganization of the diocesan structure of Italy and the consolidation of small and struggling dioceses. It also recommended the abolition of anomalous units such as exempt territorial prelatures. These considerations applied to Mileto and to Nicotero e Tropea.
On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. Instead, the Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese. On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Mileto, Nicotero and Tropea be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Dioecesis Miletensis-Nicotriensis-Tropiensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Mileto, and the cathedral of Mileto was to serve as the cathedral of the merged dioceses. The cathedrals in Nicotero and Tropea were to become co-cathedrals, and the cathedral Chapters were each to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Mileto, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the former dioceses of Mileto, Nicotero and Tropea.

Bishops

Diocese of Mileto

Erected: 11th Century
Latin Name: Miletensis
''Immediately Subject to the Holy See''

from 1073 to 1500

  • Arnolfo
  • Hiosphorus
  • Giraldus
  • Gaufridus
  • Eberardus
  • Gaufridus
  • Reynaldus
  • Anselmus
  • Nicolaus
  • Petrus
  • Rogerius
  • Rivibardus
  • Jacobus, O.P.
  • Dominicus
  • Deodatus, O.P.
  • Saba Malaspina
  • Andreas, O.Cist.
  • Manfredus Gifoni
  • Goffredo Fazari
  • Petrus de Valerianis
  • Tommaso de Buccamungellis
  • Henricus de Solana Avignon Obedience
  • Andreas d'Alagni Roman Obedience
  • Corrado Caraccioli Roman Obedience
  • Astorgio Agnensi
  • Jacobus, O.Cist.
  • Dominico
  • Antonio Sorbillo
  • Cesare de Grieto, O.Cist.
  • Narcisso de Verduno
  • Antonio de Pazzi
  • Giacomo della Rovere

from 1500 to 1800

since 1800

  • Vincenzo-Maria Armentano, O.P.
  • Filippo Mincione
  • Luigi Carvelli
  • Antonio Maria de Lorenzo
  • Giuseppe Moràbito
  • Paolo Albera
  • Enrico Nicodemo
  • Vincenzo De Chiara
  • Domenico Tarcisio Cortese, O.F.M.

Diocese of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea

30 September 1986: United with the suppressed Diocese of Nicotera e Tropea
  • Luigi Renzo

Studies

  • Kamp, Norbert. Kirche und Monarchie im staufischen Königreich Sizilien: München: Wilhelm Fink 1975.
  • Kehr, Paulus Fridolin. Italia pontificia. Regesta pontificum Romanorum. . Berlin: Weidmann.