The Diocese of Comacchio (Latin: Dioecesis Comaclensis) was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the coastal town of Comacchio in the province of Ferrara and region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. In 1986, the diocese of Commachio was united with the diocese of Ferrara to form the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio, and lost its individual identity.

History 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.Ughelli, p. 482. Cappelletti, p. 580. Gams, p. 687, column 1. The subscription cumiaclensis in the Acts of the synod, however, has been shown to be a misreading of corneliensis (diocese of Imola).Kehr, V, p. 174. Lanzoni, p. 819. 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.Philippus Jaffe; G. Wattenbach (ed.), Regesta pontificum Romanorum, editio secunda, I (Leipzig: Veit 1885), p. 210 no. †1883a. Lanzoni, p. 819. The earliest known bishop is Vincentius, who belongs to the first quarter of the 8th century.Cappelletti, pp. 581-582. Kehr, p. 174. Lanzoni, p. 819.

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.Constitutioni synodali della diocese di Comacchio Ferrara: Vittorio Baldini 1579.

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 Papal troops were withdrawn from Commachio on 22 June 1796, and a month later a Commissary of the French government arrived to turn Commachio into a French city.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.A. J. Reinerman, "The Papacy, Austria and the anti-French Struggle in Italy, 1792-1797," in: 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. 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.Cappelletti, pp. 619-620. 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.'for the time being' and 'until otherwise provided'. Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. LVII (Città del Vaticano: Typis polyglottis Vaticanis 1965), p. 211. 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.Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. LXXIX (Città del Vaticano: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis 1987), pp. 707-710.

Cathedral and Chapter

The Cathedral served as the parish church for the entire city. The rest of the diocese had twelve parishes.Cappelletti, pp. 620-621.

The Chapter of Canons was in existence before 1004. In 1715, the cathedral was served by a Chapter, composed of one dignity (the Archpriest) and four(-teen) Canons;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. there were also eight lesser clergy (priests) who carried out various liturgical and sacramental functions.Ughelli, II, pp. 481-482. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 165 note 1. In 1745 there was one dignity and seventeen Canons.Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 174 note 1. 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).Cappelletti, p. 621.

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.

Bishops to 1400

[Pacatianus (502)Annuario Diocesano. Anno 2011. Arcidiocesi di Ferrara-Comacchio, p. 34.] Vincentius (708–723)Cappelletti, p. 581. Lanzoni (1898), pp. 62-70. Vitalis (781–827)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 (c. 872–879)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. ... Cyprianus (attested 898) Petrus (before 908) ... Orso (attested 955) Gregorio (967–969)Ughelli, p. 483, with some confusion between Gregorius and Georgius. Cappelletti, p. 588. ... Georgius (attested 997)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 (1003–1016)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. ... Petrus (attested in 1053)Petrus: Cappelletti, p. 592. ... Adelbertus (attested 1086)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. ... Joannes (attested 1205)Joannes: Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 199. Donatus N. Bozio N. Michael (attested 1265) Thaddeus Bartolus (elected 1285) Honoratus Petrus Mancinelli, O.P. (1304–1327) Superantius Lamberatazzi (1327)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. Francesco de Boateriis, O.P. (1328–1333) Bartolommeo, O.P. (1333–1348)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. Pax (Pacio) (1348)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. Remigio, O.E.S.A. (1349–1357)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 (1357–1371)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. Teobaldo (1357–1381) Biagio de Fulgineo, O.Min. (1382– ) (Avignon Obedience) Federico Porcia (1381–1386) (Roman Obedience) Simone Saltarelli, O.P. (1386–1396) (Roman Obedience)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. Petrobuoni, O.S.B. (1396–1399?) (Roman Obedience)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.

since 1400

Onofrio Stecutti, O.E.S.A. (1400) (Roman Obedience)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. Giacomo Bertuzzi degli Obizzi (1402–1404) (Roman Obedience) Giovanni de Strada (de Pertegonibus) (1404– ) (Roman Obedience) Alberto Benedetti, O.Serv. (1418– )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. Maynard de Contrariis (1431–1449?)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. Bartolomeo de'Medici (1450?–1460?) Francesco Fogliano (1460–1471) Filippo de Zobolis (Zobale) (1472–1497) Meliadusius d'Este (1497–1506)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. Thomas Foschi (1506–1514)Bishop Thomas was present at the X Session of the Fifth Lateran Council on 4 May 1514. Cavalieri, p. 106. Eubel, II, p. 173.