The Diocese of Iași (or lat, Dioecesis Iassiensis, ro, Episcopia Romano-Catolică de Iași, hu, Jászvásári Egyházmegye, pl, Diecezja Jassy) is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Western Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova), also called Western Moldavia or Romanian Moldavia, is the historic and geographical part of the former Principality of Moldavia situated in eastern and north-eastern Romania. Until its union with Wallachia in 1859, the Pr ...

. It is a

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Archdiocese of Bucharest The Archdiocese of Bucharest (Romanian: ''Arhiepiscopia Bucureștilor'') is an episcopal see of the Romanian Orthodox Church with jurisdiction over the counties of Ilfov and Prahova. The current head of the Archdiocese is Patriarch Daniel, as A ...

. Its

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

. Its bishop has been Iosif Păuleț since 2019. Between 1990 and 2019 its bishop was

Petru Gherghel Petru Gherghel (born 28 June 1940) is a Romanian prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the ninth Bishop of Iași, from 1990 to 2019. He was formerly served as apostolic administrator of the same diocese from 1978 to 1990, under the Communist re ...

, previously Apostolic Administrator since 1978. Auxiliary Bishop since 1999 has been

Aurel Percă Aurel Percă (born August 15, 1951) is a Romanian prelate of the Catholic Church who was named Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, Archbishop of Bucharest on 21 November 2019. He served as auxiliary bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Iași, ...

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Mauriana {{more footnotes, date=July 2017 Mauriana was an ancient city and bishopric in Roman North Africa, which remains a Latin Church titular see of the Catholic Church. History Mauriana was among the many towns in the Roman province of Mauretania C ...

, appointed Archbishop of Bucharest in 2019.

History

It was established in 1818 as the '' Apostolic Vicariate of

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

'' (a pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction; exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of an ecclesiastical province, but entitled to a

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

), on territory split off from the suppressed Diocese of Bacău, which had originally been set up at Siret by Pope Urban V in 1370, due to work done by

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

and Dominicans; its seat was transferred to

Bacău Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...

at the beginning of the 15th century. Abandoned in 1497 due to

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

persecutions, the See of Bacău was re-established in 1611, and had a succession of twenty prelates until 1789, when it was suppressed. The Catholics of

were then placed under the

spiritual direction Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the div ...

of Apostolic prefects, generally chosen from the Conventuals in charge of the mission. The Apostolic Vicariate of Moldavia was promoted on 27 June 1884 by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

to Diocese of Iaşi (Jászvásár in Hungarian) covering Romanian Moldavia, with Iaşi as residence. In 1921 it gained territory from the Diocese of Tiraspol. On 5 June 1930 it gained territory from the Ukrainian Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lviv. On 28 October 1993, it lost territory to establish the Apostolic Administration of Moldova (now the diocese of Chișinău).

Special churches

Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is the

Our Lady Queen of Iași Cathedral The Our Lady Queen of Iași Cathedral ( ro, Catedrala Sfânta Fecioară Maria Regină din Iaşi) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Iași, located in the city of Iași, in northeastern part of Romania. The new cathedral was ...

, in Iaşi. The former cathedral, Assumption of Mary Church, is also located in the city. Other former cathedrals are the Biserica de vizitarea Maicii Domnului, in

, and the ruined Biserica de Maicii Domnului, in Baia. A

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

is the Bazilica Minora Sanctuarul de la Cacica, in

Cacica Cacica ( pl, Kaczyka, german: Kaczika) is a commune located in Suceava County, in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania. The commune is located in the central part of the county, from the town of Gura Humorului, from the city ...

Extent and statistics

, its pastorally served 232,132 Catholics (5.3% of 4,359,762 total) on 46,378 km² in 149 parishes, 420 priests (297 diocesan, 123 religious) with 704 lay religious (282 brothers, 422 sisters) and 125 seminarians. The diocese covers the Romanian region of

—the counties of Suceava,

Botoșani Botoșani () is the capital city of Botoșani County, in the northern part of Western Moldavia, Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa. ...

, Neamț,

, Vaslui,

Vrancea Vrancea may refer to: *Vrancea County, Romania *Vrancea Mountains The Vrancea Mountains ( ro, Munții Vrancei) are a mountain range in the Curvature Carpathians in Romania. Located mostly in western Vrancea County, they also cover parts of Bacă ...

and

Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...

. 5.2% of the inhabitants are Catholic, with concentrations around

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

. Its adherents are predominantly ethnic

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

, with small Csángós (old Hungarian dialect) and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

communities.

Episcopal ordinaries

; Apostolic Vicars of Moldavia all missionary members of the Latin congregation of

Conventual Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

, O.F.M. Conv. * Giovanni Filippo Paroni, O.F.M. Conv. (1818.06.26 – 1825) * Bonaventura Zabberoni, O.F.M. Conv. (1825.07.19 – 1826.07.30),

of Helenopolis (1825.07.19 – death 1826.07.30) * Aloisio Landi, O.F.M. Conv. (? – death 1829.01.22) **''

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

Jose Carlos Magni, O.F.M. Conv. (1832–1838)'' * Paolo Sardi, O.F.M. Conv. (1843.04.07 – death 1848.11.09), Titular Bishop of

Vera Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarrag ...

(1843.04.07 – 1848.11.09) * Antonio de Stefano, O.F.M. Conv. (1849.08.28 – death 1859.11.27), Titular Bishop of Benda (1849.08.28 – 1893.11.01) * Giuseppe Salandari, O.F.M. Conv. (1864.04.22 – death 1873.12.29) * Antonio Maria Grasselli, O.F.M. Conv. (1874.04.14 – 1874.12.22), Titular Bishop of Trapezopolis (1874.04.14 – 1875.01.08); later Apostolic Vicar of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

(Turkey) (1874.12.22 – 1880.01.23), Titular Archbishop of Colossæ (1875.01.08 – 1899.06.19),

Archbishop-Bishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

of Viterbo e Tuscanella (Italy) (1899.06.19 – 1911), Archbishop-Bishop of Viterbo e Tuscania (Lazio, central Italy) (1911–1913.12.30), Titular Archbishop of

Larissa Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...

, (1913.12.30 – 1919.02.01) * Ludovico Marangoni, O.F.M. Conv. (1874.12.22 – 1877.09.21), Titular Bishop of Gortyna (1874.12.31 – 1877.09.21); previously

Minister General Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Super ...

(

General Superior A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while th ...

) of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (Conventual Franciscans) (1864–1872); later Bishop of Chioggia (Italy) (1877.09.21 – 1908.11.21) * Fidelis Dehm, O.F.M. Conv. (1877.12.31 – death 1880) ;''Bishops of Iaşi (Jászvásár)'' * Nicolae Iosif Camilli, O.F.M. Conv. (1884.06.27 – 1894.05.06 ''see below''), previously

Mosynopolis Mosynopolis ( el, Μοσυνόπολις), of which only ruins now remain in Greek Thrace, was a city in the Roman province of Rhodope, which was known until the 9th century as Maximianopolis (Μαξιμιανούπολις) or, to distinguish it ...

(1881.09.16 – 1884.06.27); later Titular Bishop of Gadaræ (1896.02.25 – 1901.03.27), Titular Archbishop of Constantia antea Tomi (1901.03.27 – 1904.08.30) * Dominique Jacquet, O.F.M. Conv. (1895.01.08 – 1904.02.25), also Metropolitan Archbishop of

București Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

(Bucharest, Romania) (1895–1895); later * Nicolae Iosif Camilli, O.F.M. Conv. (''see above'' 1904.08.30 – 1916.01.17), now styled Archbishop-Bishop of Iaşi (Romania) (1904.08.30 – 1916.01.17) * Alexandru Theodor Cisar (1920.04.22 – 1924.12.12), later Metropolitan Archbishop of București (Romania) (1924.12.12 – death 1954.01.07) * Mihai Robu (1925.05.07 – death 1944.09.27) * ''

Marcu Glaser (1944.10.18 – 1947.10.30), Titular Bishop of Cæsaropolis (1943.06.10 – 1950.05.25); afterward staying in the diocese as Auxiliary Bishop (1947.10.30 – 1950.05.25)'' * Blessed Bishop

Anton Durcovici Anton Durcovici (17 May 1888 – 10 December 1951) was a Romanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the Bishop of Iaşi from 1947 until his death. Durcovici was a victim of Romania's Communist regime, under which he was imprisoned; he died ...

(1947.10.30 – 1951.12.10), also Apostolic Administrator of

(Bucharest, Romania) (1948–1949). *

(1990.03.14 – present)

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic with incumbent biography links
*
Official site of the diocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iasi, Roman Catholic Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Romania Roman Catholic Diocese of iasi