Archdiocese of Milan Archidioecesis Mediolanensis Arcidiocesi di Milano | |
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 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 4,243 km2 (1,638 sq mi) |
Population
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| Parishes | 1,107 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | |
| Established | 1st century (diocese) 374 (archdiocese) |
| Cathedral | Cattedrale di S. Maria Nascente |
| Secular priests | 1,712 (diocesan) 738 (Religious Orders) 156 Permanent Deacons |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Archbishop | Mario Delpini |
| Auxiliary Bishops | |
| Bishops emeritus | |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| chiesadimilano | |
TheArchdiocese of Milan (Italian:Arcidiocesi di Milano;Latin:Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is aLatin Church ecclesiastical territory orarchdiocese of theCatholic Church in Italy which covers the areas ofMilan,Monza,Lecco andVarese. It has long maintained its ownLatin liturgical rite usage, theAmbrosian rite, which is still used in the greater part of the diocesan territory. Among its past archbishops, the better known areAmbrose,Charles Borromeo,Pope Pius XI andPope Paul VI.
The Archdiocese of Milan is themetropolitan see of theecclesiastical province of Milan, which includes thesuffragan dioceses ofBergamo,Brescia,Como,Crema,Cremona,Lodi,Mantova,Pavia, andVigevano.[2][3]
Milan's archdiocese is the largest inEurope,[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 aresecular priests.
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According to the legend, theGospel was brought to Milan by the apostleBarnabas, 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 ofEmperor Diocletian, for the list of the bishops of Milan names only five predecessors ofMirocles, who participated at theLateran council held in 313 in Rome. During the persecutions of the third and early fourth century, several Christians sufferedmartyrdom and were venerated at Milan: among themGervasius andProtasius (first persecution ofDiocletian),Victor,Nabor and Felix, andNazarius and Celsus. The persecutions ended in 313 when the EmperorsConstantine I andLicinius issued theEdict of Milan which proclaimed thereligious toleration in theRoman Empire.
Archbishop ofMilan | |
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| Catholic | |
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.svg) Coat of arms | |
| Incumbent: Mario Delpini Installed 9 September 2017 | |
| Information | |
| First holder | Anathalon |
| Established | 1st century |
| Cathedral | Cattedrale di S. Maria Nascente |
Historically, the Milanese church has been in full communion with thePapacy. Among its bishops should be namedEustorgius I andDionysius, who firmly opposed apostasy imposed by the Roman EmperorConstantius II. Dionysus was exiled toCappadocia (355), while the Romans putAuxentius 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 andDacius (530-52), who lived almost always in exile atConstantinople on account of theGothic War.
During theLombard invasion, many things happened to the church in Milan. TheSchism of the Three Chapters guaranteed autonomy of the Milanese Church for 38 years, since the Lombards were enemies of theByzantines. At the siege of Milan by the LombardAlboin, theBishop Honoratus (568) sought refuge inGenoa, with a great number of his clergy, which returned to Milan only 70 years later underJohn the Good.
In the 10th century, the archbishops of Milan becamefeudatory of theEmperor extending his jurisdiction to all northwest Italy. The most distinguished of these wasAriberto 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 aGuelph town that fought the Emperor.[5] The archbishopOttone 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 theHouse of Visconti who ruled theDuchy of Milan from 1277 to 1447.
The figure who marked the modern history of the church of Milan wasCharles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584, who was a leading figure during theCounter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church. His pastoral efforts were followed also by his successors, such asFederico Borromeo (died 1631) andGiuseppe Pozzobonelli (died 1783).
In the 20th century, two Cardinal Archbishops of Milan were elected to the papacy: in 1922, Cardinal Achille Ratti was elected asPope Pius XI, and in 1963 Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was elected asPope Paul VI. The church of Milan was governed from 1979 to 2002 by CardinalCarlo Maria Martini, who had been a favorite of the Catholic left.
As of 7 July 2017, the current Metropolitan Archbishop of Milan is ArchbishopMario Enrico Delpini, who has been serving since his appointment byPope 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 possiblepapabile.
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]
TheSeminary of the archdiocese has the principal seat inVenegono Inferiore. Theminor seminary is located inSeveso.
A list of the bishops and archbishops of Milan is engraved on a plaque in the South nave of theCathedral of Milan, but that list contains historical errors. The list below follows the work of Eugenio Cazzani.[6]
The 1,104 parishes all fall within the region ofLombardy. They are divided between theProvince of Bergamo, theProvince of Como, theProvince of Lecco, theProvince of Milan, theProvince of Pavia, and theProvince of Varese.[10]
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Milan | |
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45°27′51.51″N9°11′30.64″E / 45.4643083°N 9.1918444°E /45.4643083; 9.1918444
