Furnos Maior and Furnos Minor

Furnos was the name of two towns and bishoprics in the Roman province of Proconsular Africa (in present-day Tunisia). They are referred to as Furnos Maior and Furnos Minor, as now as separate Latin Catholic titular sees.

Figs Mosaic at Furnos Minus

Locations
Site of Furnos Minus today

History

Each was important enough to become a suffragan bishopric of the African provincial capital's Metropolitan Archbishop of Carthage.

TO ELABORATE

The towns and the bishoprics disappeared after the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, but their dioceses have been revived as titular sees.[1]

There are records of early bishops of one or other of the two sees. Third-century Geminius died shortly before Saint Cyprian; a Donatist Florentinus attended a conference in 411; and a Simeon was at the Council of Carthage (525). Simeon belonged to Furnos Maior, but it is uncertain of which town the other two were bishops.[2][3]

Victor of Vita recounts that in the persecution by the Vandals of Genseric in 430 or 431 Bishop Mansuetus of Urusi was martyred by being burned alive at the gate of Urusi known as the Porta Fornitana, the 'Furnos Gate'.[4]

Titular see of Furnos Maior

The diocese was nominally restored as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric in 1914 under the name Furnos Majus (or Maius), which was changed to Furni Majus in 1925, Furnos Maior (or Major) in 1929, Fornos Major in 1933, ultimately Furnos Maior again in 1971.

It has had the following incumbents, so far of the Episcopal (lowest) rank :

  • José Anselmo Luque (1914.05.25 – death 1930.04.05) as Auxiliary Bishop of Córdoba (Argentina) (1914.05.25 – 1930.04.05)
  • Julien-Marie Nouailles, Picpus Fathers (SS.CC.) (born France) (1932.04.26 – death 1937.08.14) as Apostolic Vicar of Tahiti Islands (French Polynesia) (1932.04.26 – 1937.08.14)
  • Marcel-Auguste-Marie Grandin, Holy Ghost Fathers (C.S.Sp.) (1937.12.02 – death 1947.08.04) first as only Apostolic Vicar of Oubangui Chari (colonial French name of Central African Republic) (1937.12.02 – 1940.05.28), then (see) renamed after its see) 'first' Apostolic Vicar of Bangui (Central African Republic) (1940.05.28 – 1947.08.04); previously last Apostolic Prefect of Oubangui Chari (1928.05.02 – 1937.12.02)
  • Thomas F. Quinlan (구 토마), Columban Missionaries (S.S.C.M.E.) (1955.09.20 – 1962.03.10) as Apostolic Vicar of Chuncheon 춘천 (South Korea) (1955.09.20 – 1962.03.10), also President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (1959 – 1964); later (see promoted) 'first' Bishop of Chuncheon 춘천 (South Korea) (1962.03.10 – 1965.11.16), emeritus as Titular Bishop of Bocconia (1965.11.16 – death 1970.12.31); previously Apostolic Prefect of Shunsen (future South Korea) (1940 – 1943 & 1948.11.12 – 1950.07.16), see restyled Apostolic Prefect of Chuncheon 춘천 (South Korea) (1950.07.16 – 1955.09.20)
  • René-Jean-Baptiste-Germain Feuga, Paris Foreign Missions Society (M.E.P.) (born France) (1962.11.20 – death 1964.01.27) as emeritus, former Bishop of Mysore (India) (1941.04.03 – retired 1962.11.20), and a while Apostolic Administrator of Mysore (1962.11.20 – 1963.11.16)
BIOS to ELABORATE
  • Ismael Blas Rolón Silvero, Salesians (S.D.B.) (1965.10.20 – 1967.03.29), as Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Caacupé (Paraguay) (1960.08.02 – 1967.03.29), promoted first Bishop of the above Caacupé (1967.03.29 – 1970.06.16), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Asunción (Paraguay) (1970.06.16 – 1989.05.20), President of Episcopal Conference of Paraguay (1985–1989)
  • Michele Alagna Foderá, S.D.B. (1967.06.13 – 1978.05.26)
  • James Patterson Lyke, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1979.06.30 – 1990.07.10) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Cleveland (USA) (1979.06.30 – 1990.07.10), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Archdiocese of Atlanta (USA) (1991.04.30 – 1992.12.27)
  • Julio Enrique Prado Bolaños (1992.07.08 – 1995.02.02)
  • Héctor Sabatino Cardelli (1995.05.13 – 1998.05.02)
  • Jorge Eduardo Lozano (2000.01.04 – 2005.12.22)
  • Alessandro Carmelo Ruffinoni, Scalabrinians (C.S.) (2006.01.18 – 2010.06.16)
  • Agenor Girardi, Sacred Heart Missionaries (M.S.C.) (2010.12.22 – 2015.05.06)
  • Aliaksandr Yasheuski, S.D.B. (2015.06.09 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Minsk–Mohilev (Belarus).

Titular see of Furnos Minor

It was nominally revived as a titular bishopric in 1933 and has had the following incumbents, mostly of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank, usually) with an Archiepiscopal exception :

  • Titular Archbishop Charles Journet (Swiss) (1965.02.15 – 1965.02.22), simultaneously created Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Portico (1965.02.25 – 1973.03.05); later Protodeacon of the Sacred College of Cardinals (1971.08.10 – 1973.03.05), promoted Cardinal-Priest still of S. Maria in Portico pro hac vice Title (1973.03.05 – death 1975.04.15)
  • Titular Bishop Georges-Louis Mercier, White Fathers (M. Afr.) (1968.01.11 – 1976.10.13) as emeritus, died 1991; previously last Apostolic Prefect of Ghardaïa nel Sahara (French Algeria) (1941 – 1948.06.10), (see) promoted only Apostolic Vicar of Ghardaïa nel Sahara (Algeria) (1948.06.10 – 1955.09.14) and Titular Bishop of Celerina (1948.06.21 – 1955.09.14), (see) promoted again first Bishop of Laghouat (Algeria) (1955.09.14 – 1968.01.11)
  • Titular Bishop Attilio Nicora (1977.04.16 – 1992.06.30) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Milan(o) (Italy) (1977.04.16 – 1987.02.11), later Bishop of Verona (Italy) (1992.06.30 – 1997.09.18), Vice-President of Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (2000–2002), Member of the Commission of Cardinals overseeing the Institute for Works of Religion (2002? – 2013.02.16), Archbishop ad personam (2002.10.01 – 2003.10.21), President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (2002.10.01 – 2011.07.07), created Cardinal-Deacon of S. Filippo Neri in Eurosia (2003.10.21 [2003.12.13] – 2014.06.12), Pontifical Legate for the papal Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels, both in Assisi (2006.02.21 – ...), President of the papal Financial Information Authority (2011.01.19 – 2014.01.30), promoted Cardinal-Priest of S. Filippo Neri in Eurosia pro hac vice Title (2014.06.12 – death 2017.04.22), Member of the College for the review of appeals by clergy accused of delicta graviora (2015.01.21 – 2017.04.22)
  • Titular Bishop Henryk Marian Tomasik (1992.11.21 – 2009.10.16) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Siedlce (Poland) (1992.11.21 – 2009.10.16); later Bishop of Radom (Poland) (2009.10.16 – ...)
  • Titular Bishop William Terrence McGrattan (2009.11.06 – 2014.04.08) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) (2009.11.06 – 2014.04.08); later Bishop of Peterborough (Canada) (2014.04.08 – 2017.01.04), Bishop of Calgary (Canada) (2017.01.04 – ...)
  • Titular Bishop Ernesto Maguengue (2014.08.06 – ...), as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Nampula (Mozambique) and Apostolic Administrator of the same Nampula (2016.07.25 – 2017.04.11); previously Bishop of Pemba (Mozambique) (2004.06.24 – 2012.10.27).

See also
  • List of Catholic dioceses in Tunisia

References
  1. Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), "Sedi titolari", p. 897
  2. Mélanges de l'École française de Rome Antiquité, Volume 90 (1978), Issue 90-2, pp. 874-875
  3. Siméon Vailhé, "Furni" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1909)
  4. John Moorhead (translator), History of the Vandal Persecution (Liverpool University Press 1992 ISBN 978-0-85323127-1), p. 6
Bibliography
  • Stefano Antonio Morcelli, Africa christiana, Volume I, Brescia 1816, pp. 162–163
  • J. Mesnage, L'Afrique chrétienne, Paris 1912, p. 122
  • Duval Noël, L'évêque et la cathédrale en Afrique du Nord, in Actes du XIe congrès international d'archéologie chrétienne, École Française de Rome, 1989, p. 395
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