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 Catholic Church in Italy | |
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| Italian: Chiesa cattolica in Italia | |
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| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Governance | Episcopal Conference of Italy |
| Pope | Francis |
| President | Matteo Maria Zuppi |
| Primate | Pope Francis |
| Apostolic Nuncio | Emil Paul Tscherrig |
| Region | Italy, Vatican City |
| Language | Italian, Latin |
| Headquarters | Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran |
| Founder | Apostles Peter and Paul |
| Origin | 1st century Rome, Roman Empire |
| Members | 57,000,000 |
| Official website | Episcopal Conference of Italy |
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The Italian Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Italy, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome, under the Conference of Italian Bishops. The pope serves also as Primate of Italy and Bishop of Rome. In addition to the Italian Republic, two other sovereign states are included in Italian dioceses: San Marino and Vatican City. There are 225 dioceses in the Catholic Church in Italy, see further in this article and in the article List of Catholic dioceses in Italy.
The pope resides in Vatican City, enclaved in Rome. Having been a major center for Christian pilgrimage since the Roman Empire, Rome is commonly regarded as the "home" of the Catholic Church, since it is where Saint Peter settled, ministered, served as bishop, and died.[1] His relics are located in Rome along with Saint Paul's, among many other saints of Early Christianity.
Owing to the Italian Renaissance, church art in Italy is extraordinary, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Fra Carnevale, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Sandro Botticelli, Tintoretto, Titian, Raphael, and Giotto, etc.
Italian church architecture is equally spectacular and historically important to Western culture, notably St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Cathedral of St. Mark's in Venice, and Brunelleschi's Florence Cathedral, which includes the "Gates of Paradise" doors at the Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
The status of the Catholic Church as the sole official religion in Italy ended in 1985, with the renegotiation of the Lateran Treaty.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles". newadvent.org. Retrieved 27 April 2015.