(The Pillar. LUKE COPPEN)
No country in the world has as many dioceses united in persona episcopi as Italy. That’s partly because Italy has a vast number of dioceses to begin with: 226 in all. That’s more than the 194 in the U.S., although America has millions more Catholics. Italy has a total of 41 dioceses united in persona episcopi, or “in the person of the bishop.” This means that the Vatican has taken two dioceses and, instead of merging them, appointed a single bishop to oversee both, while preserving the dioceses as separate entities. On May 2 this year, for example, the Vatican announced that the Italian dioceses of San Benedetto del Tronto-Ripatransone-Montalto and Ascoli Piceno would be united in persona episcopi. The dioceses remain in their previous form, but 58-year-old Archbishop Gianpiero Palmieri is now responsible for them both. The in persona episcopi trend has spread to other countries with declining Catholic practice, including Canada, Ireland, Spain, and Wales.