It is often stated that the earliest bishop of Comacchio, indeed the first bishop, was Pacatianus, who is said to have attended the Roman synod of 502.[1] The subscription cumiaclensis in the Acts of the synod, however, has been shown to be a misreading of corneliensis (diocese of Imola).[2] An anonymous bishop, said to have been operating in 592, is known only from a forged bull of Pope Gregory I, and must therefore be excluded.[3] The earliest known bishop is Vincentius, who belongs to the first quarter of the 8th century.[4]
In 1579, Bishop Ercole Sacrati (1563–1591) presided over a diocesan synod, which issued a set of Constitutions for the government of the diocese of Comacchio.[5]
During the French Revolution, an army of the French Republic occupied the Po Valley. Papal troops were withdrawn from Commachio on 22 June 1796, and a month later a Commissary of the French government arrived to turn Commachio into a French city. The diocese of Comacchio was assigned to the Archbishop of Ferrara as a suffragan, since Venice and Ravenna were in the hands of the Austrians.[6] The citizens, clerical and lay, were required to swear an oath to the French Republic: Giuro fedeltà ed obbedienza alla repubblica francese, ed ai suoi delegati, salva la religione, la proprietà, e le persone. The Bishop was assigned the task of imposing the oath on all the clergy. The churches were despoiled, the Augustinians were expelled, and the abbey of Pomposa was closed. When the Congress of Vienna restored the old order in Italy, Austria was allowed to keep all of the territory north of the Po, and it continued to occupy The Three Legations, which legally belonged to the Papal States.[7] Therefore, Comacchio was returned to its status as a suffragan of Ravenna, though the city was politically part of the Legation of Ferrara and the Papal States.[8] The Austrians had a garrison in the castle of Comacchio.
On 18 May 1964, Pope Paul VI, in response to a petition of the Cathedral Chapter of Comacchio, who wished to revive the Benedictine observance at the Territorial Abbey of Pomposa, after consultation with the Abbot Primate of the Order of Saint Benedict, Benno Gut, granted possession of the Abbey of Pomposa to the Bishop of Comacchio, pro tempore and donec aliter caveatur.[9] The Bishop was allowed to call himself Abbas Pomposianus. The decree did not change the name of the diocese.
As part of a project begun on orders from Pope John XXIII, and continued under his successors, to reduce the number of dioceses in Italy and to rationalize their borders in terms of modern population changes and shortages of clergy, the diocese of Comacchio was united to the diocese of Ferrara by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops, on 30 September 1986. There was to be one bishop, in Ferrara, and one curia, one cathedral, one Council of Consultors, one Council of Priests, and one seminary. The former cathedral of Comacchio was granted the title of Co-cathedral, and its Chapter was retained and not united with the Chapter of the Cathedral of Ferrara.[10]
Cathedral and Chapter
The Cathedral served as the parish church for the entire city. The rest of the diocese had twelve parishes.[11]
The Chapter of Canons was in existence before 1004.[12] In 1715, the cathedral was served by a Chapter, composed of one dignity (the Archpriest) and four(-teen) Canons;[13] there were also eight lesser clergy (priests) who carried out various liturgical and sacramental functions.[14] In 1745 there was one dignity and seventeen Canons.[15] After the French Empire of Napoleon I had collapsed, Pope Pius VII reestablished the office of Archpriest, by a bull of 22 September 1814. The office of Archdeacon was created by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836, on the initiative of Bishop Michele Virgili (1819–1855).[16]
Seminary
The seminary of Comacchio was founded by Bishop Bentini in 1745, but the institution was not fully functional until 1755. There were interruptions, however, due to various jurisdictional disputes and financial shortages. It was only in 1781 that the seminary was definitively opened.
After Comaccio became part of the Cisalpine Republic, the French occupation authorities closed the seminary in 1798. Bishop Boari, a Napoleonic enthusiast, reopened the seminary in 1800. During the wars of Italian unification, it was closed again, and not reopened until 1882. In 1930, the lyceum division and the theological division were transferred, with papal approval, to the seminary in Bologna. In 1954 Bishop Natale Mosconi moved the seminary to new quarters, but on 30 November 1967, it was closed due to financial distress, and its students were transferred to the Archdiocesan Seminary of Ferrara. In 1986 the diocese of Comacchio ceased to exist, and became part of the diocese of Ferrara.[17]
^Zappata, quoted in Ughelli, p. 482, reports that there were fourteen Canons (Canonici Capitulares), four Canonici Mansionarii, and nearly a hundred other clergy. He is correcting Ughelli, who seems to have left out the fourteen Canons, and mistaken the four Canonici Mansionarii for the entire Chapter.
^Ughelli, II, pp. 481-482. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 165 note 1.
^Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 174 note 1.
^Vitale attended the Synod of Mantua of Pope Eugene II of 827: J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIV (Venice: A. Zatta 1769), pp. 493-502. Annuario Diocesano. Anno 2011. Arcidiocesi di Ferrara-Comacchio, p. 34. Ughelli, II, p. 482. Cappelletti, p. 586, and Gams, p. 687, create two Vitales, a half-century apart, unwilling to accept a 40 year long reign.
^Stephanus seems to have been appointed by Pope John VIII, quem nos in Comiaclo praeordinavimus. In 879, Berengar I was asked by John VIII to assist Bishop Stephanus of Comacchio in maintaining his rights: J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XVII (Venice: A. Zatta 1769), p. 114. Ughelli-Coleti, p. 482-483. Cappelletti, pp. 586-588.
^Ughelli, p. 483, with some confusion between Gregorius and Georgius. Cappelletti, p. 588.
^Bishop Georgius attended the Synod of Ravenna in 997. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIX (Venice: A. Zatta 1774), p. 221.
^Joannes: Ughelli, p. 483. Cappelletti, pp. 588-589. Cavalieri, pp. 46-50, firmly rejects Bishop Joannes, whose existence depends solely on an interpretation of a letter of Peter Damiani.
^Adelbertus (Alberto): Cappelletti, pp. 592-593, who indicates that he was schismatic, in the Obedience of Antipope Clement III (Archbishop Wibert of Ravenna), 1080 to 1100. Gams, p. 687.
^Lambertazzi was appointed Bishop of Comacchio by Pope John XXII on 17 February 1327. He was transferred to the diocese of Adria on 22 November 1327, and then to the diocese of Cervia on 11 October 1329. He died in 1342. Eubel, I, pp. 71, 183, 199.
^Bartolomeo, who had been Sub-Prior of the Dominican house in Bologna, had been Bishop of Konalvje in Dalmatia (1319-1320), and Bishop of Segni (1320–1333). He was transferred to Comacchio by Pope John XXII on 30 July 1333. He died in 1348. Eubel, I, pp. 199, 218, 451.
^The death of Fra Pacio was so sudden that he had not been consecrated a bishop. 1348 was the year the Black Death ravaged central Italy. Cavalieri, p. 82.
^Remigius was appointed Bishop of Comacchio on 22 June 1349 by Pope Clement VI. He was transferred to the diocese of Pistoria on 26 April 1357 by Pope Innocent VI. Eubel, I, pp. 199.
^Guglielmo of Gascony was appointed on 16 July 1357 by Pope Innocent VI. He was transferred to the diocese of Siena on 24 November 1371 by Pope Gregory XI. Eubel, I, pp. 199, 446.
^Simone Saltarelli had been Master of the Sacred Palaces. He was appointed on 16 July 1386 by Pope Urban VI. He was transferred to the diocese of Tergeste on 12 April 1396 by Pope Boniface IX. Ughelli, p. 484. Eubel, I, pp. 199, 477.
^Pietrobuoni had been Abbot of the monastery of S. Bartolommeo outside the walls of Ferrara. He died in 1402. Ughelli, p. 484. Cappelletti, p. 599. Eubel, I, p. 199.
^Stecutti was already Bishop of Florence. He asked Pope Boniface not to transfer him, but to allow him to live a private life; he had a successor at Florence on 13 December 1400. Cavalieri, p. 88, who conjectures that Pietrobono was to be transferred to Florence. Eubel, I, p. 199, 250.
^Alberto had been Bishop of Forlì (1413–1418). He was transferred to the diocese of Comacchio on 27 April 1418 by Pope Martin V. Eubel, I, pp. 199, 253.
^Mainardus, of a noble Ferraran family, had been Bishop of Cervia (province of Ravenna) from 2 April 1414 on appointment of John XXIII. He was appointed Bishop of Comacchio on 21 November 1431 by Pope Eugene IV. Cappelletti, p. 600, says that Bishop Maynard died in 1449, and was succeeded in 1450 by Bartolomeo de' Medici (who held the seat for ten years). Gams, p. 687, follows Cappelletti. Eubel, I, p. 183; II, pp. 126 note 1; 133 with note 2. Eubel does not admit Bartolomeo de' Medici.
^Meliadusius was appointed on 26 June 1497 by Pope Alexander VI. He resigned in 1506. Cavalieri, pp. 104-105. Eubel II, p. 133; III, p. 173.
^Bishop Thomas was present at the X Session of the Fifth Lateran Council on 4 May 1514. Cavalieri, p. 106. Eubel, II, p. 173.
^Because of age and infirmity, Ghillini was given a Coadjutor, Alfonso Rossetti, on 22 October 1548. He died on 21 December 1559. Cappelletti, pp. 602-603.
^Rossetti was appointed Bishop of Comacchio on 21 Dec 1559. He was transferred to the diocese of Ferrara on 8 October 1563. Eubel, II, p. 173.
^Born in Faenza in 1660, Bentini held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure from the University of Perugia (1684). He served as Auditor (secretary) in the papal nunciatures in Poland and Vienna, and then as Vicar Apostolic in the diocese of Senigallia. He was named Bishop of Comacchio by Pope Clement XI on 16 April 1716, and was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Giulio Piazza on 22 April 1714. He died on 3 March 1744. Cavalieri, pp. 180-200. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 165 with note 4.
^Cavedi was born in Paderno (diocese of Bergamo, then diocese of Cremona) in 1667. He served as Minister of the Bologna province of his Order from 1705, and was a councilor of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Bergamo. He was appointed titular Bishop of Eucarpia on 7 September 1729, and Coadjutor of Bishop Bentini. He was consecrated a bishop in Rome by Pope Benedict XIII on 11 September 1729. On the death of Bentini on 3 March 1744, Cavedi succeeded to the diocese of Comacchio. He died in Cremona on 24 December 1744. Cavalieri, pp. 201-212. Cappelletti, p. 609. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 165 with note 5.
^Lugaresi was born at Lugo (diocese of Imola) in 1697. He obtained the degree Doctor in utroque iure from the University of Bologna in 1719, at the age of only 22. He served as Vicar General in Perugia, and then in the suburbicarian diocese of Palestrina. He was appointed Bishop of Comacchio on 8 March 1745 by Pope Benedict XIV, and was consecrated in Rome on 19 March by Cardinal Fernandez de Portocarrero. He died in Lugo on 29 September 1758. Cavalieri, pp. 212-223. Cappelletti, pp. 609-618. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 174 with note 2.
^Rondinelli was born in Ferrara in 1717, and obtained the degree Doctor in utroque iure from the Sapienza in Rome in 1750. He served as synodal judge in Ferrara, and was the General President of Christian Doctrine in the diocese of Ferrara, and was general attorney for the Chapter of the Cathedral and the clergy. He was named Bishop of Comacchio on 22 November 1758, and was consecrated by the Archbishop of Ferrara, Marcello Crescenzi. In 1777, fearful of persecution by malevolent forces, he fled and hid in a village near Lugo. His episcopal functions were carried out by Vicars Apostolic. He died on 24 July 1795. Cavalieri, pp. 224-225. Cappelletti, p. 618. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 174 with note 3.
^Alessandretti, who was Vicar Apostolic, not bishop; he was titular Bishop of Zama Major in Africa (1786–1796). He was appointed Bishop of Macerata e Tolentino on 27 June 1796, after the death of Bishop Rondinelli.
^Born in Marrara in the diocese of Ferrara, and baptised Felix Antonius Paschalis, Boari taught philosophy and theology in houses of his Order, and served as Guardian, Definitor, and Minister Provincial in the province of Bologna of his Order. In 1796 he became Minister General of the entire Order. He was named Bishop of Comacchio on 24 July 1797, and consecrated a bishop in Frascati by Cardinal Henry Stuart on 30 July. He died on 24 November 1817. Cappelletti, p. 619-620. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 174 with note 4.
^Virgili was appointed Bishop of Comacchio on 29 March 1819 by Pope Pius VII, and consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Alessandro Mattei on 18 April. He made his solemn entry into his diocese on 30 May 1819. He died on 23 September 1855. Cappelletti, p. 620. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 157.
^Moretti was a native of Orvieto, where his brother was Archpriest of the Cathedral Chapter. Vincenzo studied at the Collegio Romano, where he obtained doctoral degrees in theology (1844) and law (Doctor in utroque iure) (1848). He taught scripture and church history at a local lyceum in Orvieto, and was appointed pro-Vicar in 1851. He was appointed Bishop of Comacchio on 17 December 1855, and was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Costantino Patrizi Naro. He was an opponent of the constitution of the new Kingdom of Italy, and spent some months under house arrest ordered by the local government. He was transferred by Pope Pius IX to the diocese of Cesena on 23 March 1860, in order to eliminate the friction. He became Bishop of Imola in 1867, and was transferred to Ravenna in 1871. On 28 December 1877 he was named a cardinal. He retired from Ravenna in 1879, and died in Bologna in 1881. Ritzler-Sefrin, VIII, pp. 52, 168, 217, 320, 477. Martin Bräuer (2014). Handbuch der Kardinäle: 1846-2012 (in German). Berlin: De Gruyter. pp. 111–112. ISBN978-3-11-037077-5.
Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi (in Latin). Vol. Tomus VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
Bellini, Luigi (1967). I vescovi di Comacchio nel primo millennio. Atti e memorie (Deputazione provinciale ferrarese di storia patria), ser. 3, v. 5. (in Italian). Ferrara.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Lanzoni, Francesco (1898). Il primo vescovo di Comacchio, in Atti e memorie della regia deputazione di storia patria per le Provincie di Romagna, Terza serie, vol. XXVII, 1909, pp. 62–70
