Roman Catholic Diocese of Bergamo

Diocese of Bergamo Dioecesis Bergomensis
File:669BergamoDuomo.jpg Bergamo Cathedral
Location
Country	Italy
Ecclesiastical province	Milan
Statistics
Area
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2006) 914,259 880,000 (96.3%)
Parishes	389
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	4th Century
Cathedral	Basilica Cattedrale di S. Alessandro in Colonna
Secular priests	790
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Francesco Beschi
Emeritus Bishops	Lino Bortolo Belotti
Map
File:Roman Catholic Diocese of Bergamo in Italy.svg
Website
diocesi.bergamo.it

The Diocese of Bergamo (Latin: Dioecesis Bergomensis) is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy, and is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan. It was founded in the fourth century CE, and its first bishop was Saint Narno. Narnus was succeeded by Viator of Bergamo.

Facts

The diocese is headed by Bishop Francesco Beschi, and has a strong fraternal relationship with the city and the archdiocese of Cochabamba in Bolivia. As of 2007, the diocese of Bergamo had 389 parishes, most of them belonging to the political entity known as the Province of Bergamo (Italian: Provincia di Bergamo).

Patron saint

August 26 is the feast day of Bergamo's patron, Saint Alexander, who is believed to have been a Roman centurion of the Theban legion imprisoned for his Christian beliefs. He escaped, was recaptured, and was executed around 297 CE. He is considered a Christian martyr. A church, San Alessandro da Bergamo, had been dedicated to him since the earliest days of the diocese. The church is administered by the Benedictines, priests belonging to the Order of Saint Benedict.

Diocesan synod

In 2007, the diocese opened its 37th Diocesan Synod, a gathering dedicated to problems and opportunities confronting parishes in the twenty-first century.

Missionary activities

The diocese maintains strong relations with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cochabamba. Priests of the diocese manage parishes in Cuba and Cote d'Ivoire

Notable people in the history of the diocese

• Pope John XXIII
• Giacomo Radini-Tedeschi
• Adriano Bernareggi

Parishes

The 390 parishes all fall within the Lombardy region. 375 are within the Province of Bergamo, 14 in the Province of Lecco, and one in the Province of Brescia.