Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rhodes
| Archdiocese of Rhodes Archidioecesis Rhodiensis Αρχιεπισκοπή Ρόδου | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Greece |
| Metropolitan | Immediately subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,714 km2 (1,048 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2010) 150,000 2,000 (1.3%) |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 28 March 1928 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St Francis of Assisi |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Sede vacante |
| Apostolic Administrator | Sevastianos Rossolatos |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rhodes (Latin: Archidioecesis Rhodiensis) is an exempt, non-Metropolitan archdiocese, former titular see and originally a diocese later promoted to metropolitan archdiocese.
It is directly subject to the Holy See, not part of an ecclesiastical province, and has its cathedral see at the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in the eponymous capital of the island of Rhodes in Greece.
One former cathedral of "Our Lady of the Castle" was turned into a mosque during the Ottoman period and is now a museum, the other former cathedral of St. John was turned into a Greek Orthodox church.
History
An ancient diocese was established in Rhodes around 200 AD and promoted to Metropolitan Archdiocese around 400 AD. It continues as the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Rhodes.
A Roman Catholic see was established on the island when it became the seat of the Knights Hospitaller in 1308. In 1523, with the fall of the island to the Ottoman Empire, it was suppressed as a residential diocese but turned into a titular see.
On March 28, 1928, it was restored as non-metropolitan, exempt Archdiocese of Rhodos on the territory of the suppressed Apostolic Prefecture of Rhodes and adjacent islands.
Episcopal ordinaries
- Metropolitan Archbishops of Rhodes
- Belijan (? – 1324.09.26), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Salona (Croatia) (1324.09.26 – 1328.01.28)
- Ugo de Scuria, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1351.06.20 – 1361.12.15), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Ragusa (Croatia) (1361.12.15 – 1370.07.12), finally Archbishop-Bishop of Ostuni (Italy) (1370.07.12 – death 1374)
...
- Titular Archbishops of Rhodes
...
- Francesco Niccolini, (1685.09.10 – 1692.02.04)
...
- Exempt Archbishops of Rhodes
- Archbishop Florido Ambrogio Acciari, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) as Apostolic Administrator (1928 – 1929)
- Giovanni Maria Emilio Castellani, O.F.M. (1929.01.15 – 1937.03.25)
- Friar Pier Crisologo Fabi, O.F.M. as Apostolic Administrator (1937 – 1938)
- Florido Ambrogio Acciari, O.F.M. (1938.03.30 – 1970.03.10)
- Friar Michail-Petros Franzidis, O.F.M. as Apostolic Administrator (1970 – 1992)
- Archbishop Nikolaos Foskolos as Apostolic Administrator (1992–2014); retiring for age reasons; resignation accepted by Pope Francis on 12 August 2014
- Sevastianos Rossolatos 12 August 2014 – ...
See also
References
- Sources
Coordinates: 36°26′37″N 28°13′37″E / 36.4437°N 28.2270°E