The Archdiocese of Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia (Latin: Archidioecesis Surrentina-Castri Maris o Stabiensis) is a Latinarchdiocese of the Catholic Church in Campania, has existed in its current form since 1986. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Naples, having lost its status as a metropolitan in 1979. The Diocese of Castellammare di Stabia was suppressed, and its territory united with the Archdiocese of Sorrento, in 1986. In 2014, in the diocese of Sorrento there was one priest for every 1,503 Catholics.
History
In the tenth century Sorrento became a metropolitan see. Previous to that time it had been directly dependent upon the Holy See (Papacy), and its bishops attended the Roman synods.
In 1558 the Turks under Piyale Pasha effected a landing at Salerno, and plundered and burned the city, on which occasion the archives perished. The new bishop, Giulio Pavesi, sought to repair the damages. Bishop Filippo Anastasi (1699) defended the immunities of the Church and was forcibly exiled to Terracina.
Cathedral and Chapter
The cathedral of Sorrento was dedicated to the Apostles Philip and James. The cathedral has the care of souls (cura animarum), who are in the care of the Dean of the Chapter.
The cathedral was staffed and administered by a corporation, the Chapter, composed of five dignities (the Archdeacon, the Primicerius, the Cantor, the Dean, and the Treasurer) and twelve Canons.
Archbishop Giulio Pavesi presided over a provincial synod in 1567. Archbishop Lelio Brancaccio (1571–1574) presided over a provincial synod in 1574.
Bishop Antonio de Pezzo (1641–1659) presided over a diocesan synod in Sorrento in 1654. Bishop Gabriele Papa (1824–1837) held a diocesan synod in the cathedral of Sorrento on 5–8 June 1827.
Following the extinction of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, the Congress of Vienna authorized the restoration of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. Since the French occupation had seen the abolition of many Church institutions in the Kingdom, as well as the confiscation of most Church property and resources, it was imperative that Pope Pius VII and King Ferdinand IV reach agreement on restoration and restitution. Ferdinand, however, was not prepared to accept the pre-Napoleonic situation, in which Naples was a feudal subject of the papacy. Lengthy, detailed, and acrimonious negotiations ensued.
In 1818, a new concordat with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies committed the pope to the suppression of more than fifty small dioceses in the kingdom. Pope Pius VII, in the bull "De Utiliori" of 27 June 1818, suppressed the dioceses of Massa Lubrense, Vico Equense (Vicana), and Capri, and their territories were added to Sorrento. Sorrento was left with only one suffragan, the diocese of Castellamare. In the same concordat, the King was confirmed in the right to nominate candidates for vacant bishoprics, subject to the approval of the pope. That situation persisted down until the final overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in 1860.
In 1860, the Bourbon monarchy in the south of Italy and Sicily was permanently suppressed, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies became part of the Savoyard Kingdom of Italy. Many of the clergy in the south followed the lead of Pius IX in resisting the king of Turin, who had annexed the entire Papal States, with the exception of the city of Rome. In 1861, Archbishop Francesco Apuzzo of Sorrento was, by order of the new Government, exiled to France.
Loss of metropolitan status
Following the Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the Council's decree, Christus Dominus chapter 40, major changes were made in the ecclesiastical administrative structure of southern Italy. Wide consultations had taken place with the bishops and other prelates who would be affected. Action, however, was deferred, first by the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978, then the death of Pope John Paul I on 28 September 1978, and the election of Pope John Paul II on 16 October 1978. Pope John Paul II issued a decree, "Quamquam Ecclesia," on 30 April 1979, ordering the changes. Three ecclesiastical provinces were abolished entirely: those of Conza, Capua, and Sorrento. A new ecclesiastical province was created, to be called the Regio Campana, whose Metropolitan was the Archbishop of Naples. The archbishop of Sorrento continued to enjoy the title of Archbishop, but he was no longer a metropolitan archbishop.
Acquisition of territory
On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat, which was accompanied in the next year 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. 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 Sorrento and Castellamare be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Archidioecesis Surrentina-Castri Maris. The seat of the diocese was to be in Sorrento, and the cathedral of Sorrento was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedral in Castellamare was to become a co-cathedral, and the cathedral Chapter was to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Sorrento, 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 Sorrento and of Castellamare.
^Archiepiscopalis ecclesia Sorrentina suffraganeam habebit episcopalem ecclesiam Castri Maris (Castellamare); ecclesias vero episcopales Massalubrensem, Vicanam, et Capritanam actu vacantes perpetuo supprimimus, earumque civitates, totumque dioecesanum territorium archiepiscopali Sùrrentinae unimus et assignamus." Bullarii Romani continuatio, Summorum Pontificum Clementis XIII, Clementis XIV, Pii VI, Pii VII, Leonis XII Gregorii XVI constitutiones... (in Latin). Vol. Tomus decimus quintus (15). Rome: typographia Reverendae Camerae Apostolicae. 1853. pp. 9, 57 § 5.
^Bullarii Romani continuatio Tomus 15, p. 7 column 1, "Articulus XXVIII".
^Christus Dominus 40. Therefore, in order to accomplish these aims this sacred synod decrees as follows: 1) The boundaries of ecclesiastical provinces are to be submitted to an early review and the rights and privileges of metropolitans are to be defined by new and suitable norms. 2) As a general rule all dioceses and other territorial divisions that are by law equivalent to dioceses should be attached to an ecclesiastical province. Therefore dioceses which are now directly subject to the Apostolic See and which are not united to any other are either to be brought together to form a new ecclesiastical province, if that be possible, or else attached to that province which is nearer or more convenient. They are to be made subject to the metropolitan jurisdiction of the bishop, in keeping with the norms of the common law. 3) Wherever advantageous, ecclesiastical provinces should be grouped into ecclesiastical regions for the structure of which juridical provision is to be made.
^Acta Apostolicae Sedis 71 (Città del Vaticano 1979), pp. 562-563.
^"...abhinc plusquam viginti annos gradatim ac progredienti ratione opus suscepit novo ordine disponendi dioeceses Italiae, quae communi hominum opinione nimis multae censentur neque omnes satis pollent vigore ob territorii, incolarum numeri et pastoralis instructus exiguitatem."
^Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 794-797.
^Lanzoni, pp. 246-247. The evidence is entirely hagiographical.
^Quingesius was the recipient of a letter of Pope Gelasius I. Lanzoni, p. 251. Kehr, p. 344, no. 1.
^Bishop Rosarius attended the first Roman synod of Pope Symmachus in 499. J.D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus VIII (Florence: A.Zatta 1762), p. 235. Lanzoni, p. 248.
^Amandus was elected bishop in 600, and consecrated on 22 March 600. He died on 13 April 617. Ughelli, p. 599. Lanzoni, p. 248, no. 7.
^Ughelli, p. 605, puts Baculus in the 7th century, but Lanzoni, p. 248, notes that there is no evidence, and Baculus could belong to the 4th or 5th century.
^Bishop Hyacinthus was present at the Roman synod of Pope Agatho in 679, and subscribed to the synodical letter which Agatho sent to Constantinople. J.D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XI (Florence: A.Zatta 1762), p. 302.
^Bishop Joannes was present at the synod held at Benevento by Pope Nicholas II in August 1059. On 1 October 1071, he was present at the consecration of the monastery church at Montecassino by Pope Alexander III. J.D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIX (Venice: A.Zatta 1774), p. 924. Kehr, p. 407.
^In 1110 Bishop Barbatus issued a privilege for the Church of Castellamare. Kehr, p. 407.
^In 1141 Bishop Urso issued a privilege for the Church of Castellamare. Kehr, p. 407.
^The death of Bishop-elect Philippus is recorded on 9 March 1149, in the Necrology of Matteo of Salerno. Kehr, p. 408.
^Petrus had been Bishop of Carinola. He was requested by the cathedral Chapter, and was provided by Pope Innocent IV on 26 March 1252. Gams, p. 926 column 1. Eubel I, p. 157, 469.
^Jacobus was a Canon of the cathedral Chapter. He was elected, and provided by Pope Nicholas III. Eubel I, p. 469.
^Francesco was elected by the cathedral Chapter, and confirmed by Pope Clement V on 27 February 1306. Camera, p. 643-644 (in D'Avino).
^Fr. Matteo was a councilor and Almoner of Robert, King of Naples (1309–1333). He was an executor of the Testament of Queen Maria, wife of Charles II. Camera, p. 644.
^Gams, p. 926, gives the date of death as 1349). Eubel I, p. 469.
^Brancia was appointed Archbishop of Sorrento by Pope Boniface IX. He was transferred to the diocese of Amalfi by Pope Gregory XII around the time of his deposition from the papacy by the Council of Pisa on 5 June 1409. He was reappointed by John XXIII on 9 February 1413. Camera, p. 644. Eubel I, pp. 85, 469.
^Angelo was appointed by Gregory XII on 27 March 1410. Angelo was transferred to the diocese of Santa Severina by John XXIII on 19 December 1412. He died in 1429. Eubel I, pp. 429, 469.
^Bretone was appointed Bishop of Sorrento on 18 April 1440. On 23 July 1442 Bretone was transferred by Pope Eugenius IV to the diocese of Orange with the personal title of Archbishop. Eubel II, pp. 99, 244.
^On 22 Mar 1474 Cicinelli was transferred to the diocese of Tricarico by Pope Sixtus IV, and allowed to keep the personal title of Archbishop.
^Giacomo was appointed by Pope Sixtus IV on 22 June 1474. He died in 1479; on 3 August he was still alive, according to a document quoted by Capasso. On 9 October Vicars are mentioned during the Sede vacante. Capasso, pp. 77-78. Eubel II, p. 244.
^Mormile was a Neapolitan nobleman. Capasso, pp. 78-79. Eubel II, p. 244.
^Gennari had been Bishop of Acerno (1487–1493). He was transferred to the diocese of Sorrento by Pope Alexander VI on 28 August 1493. He died in 1499, according to Eubel; but Capasso cites a notarized document of November 1500 issued in the name of Bishop Menelaus. Capasso, pp. 79-81. Eubel II, pp. 78, 244.
^Gisbertus was the brother of Francisco de Remolins (Remolini), and held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He had been a Canon of Ilerda (Spain). Capasso, pp. 83-84. Eubel Hierarchia catholica III, p. 306 with note 3.
^Strozzi was the son of Lorenzo Strozzi of Florence. He entered the Dominican Order under Girolamo Savonarola, and became General of the Dominican Order. Pope Clement VII appointed him Archbishop of Sorrento on 18 August 1525. He was in Rome at the time of the sack of May 1527, and was captured three times and ransomed twice. He resigned the diocese on 20 June 1530, and lived in Rome until his death on 30 July 1545. Capasso, p. 84. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 4.
^Coquerel had been Dean of the Collegiate Church of S. Marie de Lanto (diocese of Arras). He was recommended to the archbishopric by the Emperor Charles V, and appointed by Pope Clement VII on 20 June 1530. He died at the end of 1544. Capasso, pp. 84-85. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 5.
^Silverii-Piccolomini had been Bishop of Teramo (1542–1545). He was appointed Archbishop of Sorrento by Pope Paul III on 13 April 1545. He died in Rome in October 1552, at the age of fifty. Capasso, p. 85. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 8.
^A native of Orvieto, Albani was the nephew of Cardinal Tiberio Crispo. He had been Bishop of Suessa Arunca. He was appointed Archbishop of Sorrento by Pope Julius III on 22 October 1552. He died in Rome in May 1558. Capasso, p. 86. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 10.
^Pavesi was a native of Brescia, and a Master of theology. He served as a Commissary of the Holy Inquisition. On 23 August 1556 he was named Bishop of S. Leone (Calabria), and then Bishop of Viesti. He was named Archbishop of Sorrento on 20 July 1558 by Pope Paul IV, and was appointed papal Nuncio in the Kingdom of Naples. Pope Pius V appointed him papal Nuncio in Flanders. He attended the Council of Trent. He died in Naples on 14 February 1571 (Eubel makes the date 11 February). Capasso, pp. 86-90. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 12.
^A native of Naples of a distinguished noble family, Brancaccio was appointed Archbishop of Sorrento by Pope Pius V on 20 June 1571. He held a provincial synod in 1574. On 15 November 1574 Brancaccio was appointed Archbishop of Taranto, at the request of King Philip II of Spain. He died in Naples in 1599. Capasso, pp. 90-91. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 13.
^A native of Mondovì in the Piedmont, Donzelli held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He was a fiscal procurator in the Apostolic Camera (Treasury), and was appointed papal Nuncio to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. He then served as Governor of Rome. Pope Gregory XIII named him Archbishop of Sorrento on 14 July 1574. In 1584 he was named Apostolic Visitor of the Church of Castellamare, which had been vacant for some three years. He held a provincial synod at Sorrento in May 1584. He died on 22 April 1588, in his fifty-fourth year. Capasso, pp. 91-93. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 14.
^Bongiovanni was a Roman patrician, and a personal friend of Pope Sixtus IV. He was appointed Archbishop of Sorrento on 27 April 1588, and immediately sent as papal Nuncio to Portugal. He returned to Rome in 1590, where he died on 27 November (the date of the election of a Vicar Capitular). Capasso, p. 94. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 15.
^A native of Naples, Baldini had been a Canon of the cathedral of Naples, and professor of Canon Law at the University of Naples. He was Minister of the Holy Inquisition in the Kingdom of Naples when he was named Archbishop of Sorrento on 18 February 1591 by Pope Gregory XIV. He died in the last week of March 1598. Capasso, pp. 94-95. Eubel III, p. 306 with note 16.
^Provenzale: Capasso, p. 97. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 324 with note 2.
^Angrisani: Capasso, p. 98. Gauchat, IV, p. 324 with note 3.
^Del Pezzo: Capasso, p. 100. Gauchat, IV, p. 324 with note 4.
^Petra: Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholida V, p. 366 with note 2.
^Filippo Anastasio: Camera, pp. 645-646. Ritzler-Sefrin V, p. 366 with note 3.
^Ludovico Anastasio: Ritzler-Sefrin V, p. 366 with note 4.
^Sersale: Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 389 with note 2.
^The son of the Marchese di Villanova Filippo Maria, Vincenzo Calà was born in Arienzo in 1741. He studied at the urban Seminary of Naples. In 1793 he was appointed a Canon in the cathedral of Naples, and in 1797 was named an Accademico Ercolanense. On 26 June 1805 Pope Pius VII approved him as Archbishop of Sorrento. In 1816 he was appointed a member of the Consultative Council of the Kingdom of Naples. He died on 1 May 1817 of a malignant fever. Capasso, p. 108-109. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 354.
^Spinelli was a member of the family of the Marchesi di Fuscaldo. As a member of the Theatine Order, he held a number of offices, culminating in that of Provost General. He was a Consultor of the SC of Indulgences in the Roman Curia. He was nominated Archbishop of Sorrento by the King of the Two Sicilies on 20 March 1818, and confirmed by Pope Pius VII on 6 April 1818. He died on 23 October 1824. Capasso, p. 111. Ritzler-Sefrin VII, p. 354.
^Papa was born in Vietri in 1772. He served as Vicar General of the diocese of Melfi, and was then promoted Bishop of Nicastro. He was transferred to the diocese of Sorrento on 20 December 1824 by Pope Pius VII. He died of cholera on 22 June 1837 (according to Capasso, pp. 110-111), or 26 April (according to Ritzler and Sefrin). Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, pp. 279, 354.
^Born in Girgenti (Sicily), Ugo belonged to the family of the Marchesi di Deli. He served as Canon and Vicar General of Girgenti. He was named Archbishop of Sorrento on 18 February 1839. He added books to the diocesan seminary's library. He died on 11 August 1843, according to his funerary monument. Capasso, p. 111. Ritzler-Sefrin VII, p. 354.
^Silvestri was born in Capua in 1785, and was the parish priest of S. Marcellino in Capua. He was nominated by the King on 20 May 1844, and confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI as Archbishop of Sorrento on 17 June 1844. He conducted a thorough diocesan visitation. He died on 15 September 1848. Capasso, p. 112. Ritzler-Sefrin VII, p. 355.
^Apuzzo was a native of Naples. In 1842 he was appointed tutor of the children of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. He was appointed Archbishop of Sorrento on 23 March 1855, on the nomination of the King. On 24 Nov 1871 Apuzzo was appointed, Archbishop of Capua by Pope Pius IX. On 12 March 1877, Pius named Apuzzo a cardinal. He died in Capua on 30 July 1880. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, pp. 22, 48, 98, 180, 530. Martin Bräuer (2014). Handbuch der Kardinäle: 1846-2012 (in German). De Gruyter. pp. 103–104. ISBN978-3-11-026947-5.
^Ruggiero was a Canon of Naples, and a teacher of philosophy and natural law in the archiepiscopal high school (Liceo). He was approved by Pope Pius IX as Archbishop of Sorrento in the consistory of 12 March 1877. He died on 11 March 1886. Bonaventura da Sorrento, p. 40.
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Kamp, Norbert (1973). Kirche und Monarchie im staufischen Königreich Sizilien. Prosopographische Grundlegung. Bistümer und Bischöfe des Königreichs 1194-1266. 1. Abruzzen und Kampanien Münich 1973, pp. 376–381. (in German)
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