(Edgar Beltrán/The Pillar) — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday appointed Fr. Raffaele De Angelis as Eparch of Piana degli Albanesi of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, located in Sicily.
The appointment comes after a five-year vacancy in the see. In February 2020, the last eparch, Bishop Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro, was appointed as secretary of the then-Congregation for Eastern Churches.
De Angelis, born in 1979, was ordained a priest of the Eparchy of Lungro in 2006 after studies at the Gregorian University, obtaining a doctorate in moral theology.
De Angelis has served in a number of senior eparchial positions, such as vice-rector of the local seminary, member of the presbyteral council, and part of the commission for the protection of minors.
If you’re wondering what exactly the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi is — and what the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church is, for that matter — you’re probably not alone.
The Pillar explains.
Italo-Albanian Catholic Church of the Byzantine rite, Lungro, Italy. Public Domain.
