Papàs Raffaele De Angelis is the new Bishop of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi.
- @ visitpiana.com
- Aug 29
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 12
At 12:00 noon on August 30, 2025, in the Cathedral of San Nicola di Mira in Lungro, Eparch Donato Oliverio read the note, until then kept under "pontifical secret," with which the Apostolic Nunciature in Italy informed him that the Holy Father had appointed the Reverend Papàs Raffaele De Angelis, currently parish priest of Acquaformosa, as bishop of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi.
The new bishop of Piana degli Albanesi is very young. He was born on October 24, 1979, in Firmo. In 2006, he was ordained a priest for the Eparchy of Lungro by our beloved Eparch Ercole Lupinacci, and since 2010, he has been parish priest of the Church of San Giovanni Battista in Acquaformosa.
Authoritative sources affirm that Papàs de Angelis had already emerged from the list that led to the appointment of Bishop Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro, but was rejected precisely because of his young age. This discriminating factor, however, led to the episcopal throne of Giuseppe Perniciaro, appointed on October 26, 1937, as the first bishop of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi at the age of 30, making him the youngest bishop in the world at the time.
The newly appointed Bishop boasts an impressive resume, beginning with a Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
A young bishop with extensive experience, he has always been in close contact with young people, beginning with his role as Vice-Rector of the Eparchial Seminary in Cosenza. He was a unitary assistant for Catholic Action and a contact for the protection of minors. He taught at the "San Francesco di Paola" Theological Institute of the Pontifical Regional Seminary in Catanzaro. He also taught Fundamental Moral Theology at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of the Archdiocese of Cosenza. He has served as a member of the Eparchial Presbyterial Council and the Regional Presbyterial Council.
He also has management experience as Eparchial Treasurer and Member of the Eparchial Council for Economic Affairs.
The appointed bishop will shortly be ordained with the traditional chirotony. In keeping with tradition, the cathedral of San Demetrio Megalomartire in Piana degli Albanesi should be chosen, and he will then formally take possession of the Eparchy.
Bishops and Apostolic Administrators of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi
From 2023 until today's appointment, the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi was administered by Cardinal Francesco Montenegro, a Sicilian from Agrigento, who participated in the conclave that elevated Pope Leo XVI to the papal throne.
Don Franco, as he likes to be called, led our Eparchy for two years. Due to unstable internal balances, which had already been in place for some time, the situation required swift and decisive action without further delay. This was promptly implemented by the new Pontiff with the appointment of Bishop De Angelis.
Prior to Cardinal Montenegro, from 2020 to 2023, Archbishop Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro served as Apostolic Administrator of our Eparchy.
Archbishop Gallaro, of this eparchy, was also the titular bishop from 2015 until 2020, when Pope Francis appointed him Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop and appointing him Apostolic Administrator until 2023, when he was replaced in this role by Cardinal Montenegro.
From 2013 to 2015, the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi had as its Apostolic Administrator Cardinal Paolo Romeo, also a Sicilian from Acireale. He was appointed due to the vacant see following Pope Francis's acceptance of Eparch Sotìr Ferrara's resignation from the pastoral governance of the Eparchy due to reaching the age limit.
Eparch Ferrara was the only son of Piana degli Albanesi to govern our Eparchy, and did so from October 15, 1988, following his appointment by Pope John Paul II.
Calabria is the native region of Bishop Ferrara's predecessor, the late and beloved Bishop Ercole Lupinacci, born in San Giorgio Albanese in 1933 and appointed Bishop of Piana degli Albanesi on March 25, 1981, again by Pope John Paul II. Eparch Lupinacci was then appointed Bishop of Lungro by the Pope himself on 30 November 1987, where he remained until 10 August 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation due to having reached the age limit.
October 26, 1937, marks the historic date when Pope Pius XI, concurrently with the establishment of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi and the appointment of Cardinal Luigi Lavitrano as its Apostolic Administrator, appointed Giuseppe Perniciaro di Mezzojuso, at just 30 years of age, as titular bishop of Albania and auxiliary bishop of the Eparchy. As we have already mentioned, at just 30, he was the youngest bishop in the world and remained Eparch of Piana degli Albanesi until May 31, 1981, when he resigned and died five days later.
The past, the future, and the hope of unity.
The Pope's appointment of a priest who, while not from the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, comes from the sister Eparchy of Lungro. In addition to having extensive experience, a thorough understanding of the rite, and a direct knowledge of our Eparchy, this appointment can only reassure those who, throughout all these years of uncertainty, yearned for hope, especially the hope of seeing the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi flourish again.
Cardinal Montenegro, in my opinion, has had to manage for two years—and I imagine not without great difficulty—a very difficult and complicated period for our Eparchy, during which tensions among the clergy and confusion among the faithful were clearly evident.
My thanks and personal gratitude go to him, not only for his commitment but also because I believe he contributed in some way to today's appointment.
It cannot be hidden that in recent years the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi has had moments of darkness that have become increasingly dark, with several balances that, for better or worse, had remained stable until the Eparchy of Ferrara were dangerously undermined.
The choice of his successor led to and exacerbated a period of internal tension within the clergy, partly due to differing sensibilities and ambitions.
This heated climate did not go unnoticed by those who had to decide on his successor, and the Vatican finally resolved the issue with the appointment of Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro as Eparch of Piana degli Albanesi. He was of Sicilian origin, born in Pozzallo, and moved to Los Angeles in 1968, where he completed his theological studies. He was then incardinated in 1987 into the clergy of the Eparchy of Newton of the Melkites.
The faithful of Piana degli Albanesi, who had hoped for a bishop chosen from among the local priests, initially took the news coldly, but then rejoiced, as the Eparchy finally had a leader again.
This climate, however, quickly deteriorated and, unfortunately, remained unchanged throughout the entire period under Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro, first as Eparch and then as Apostolic Administrator of our Eparchy. During this period, open conflicts between the Eparchy and some priests, and among the priests themselves, increased and intensified, for various reasons. Furthermore, on several occasions, even large groups of faithful expressed their dissent, motivated by a form of Latinization introduced by the Eparch. They also opposed the Eparch's decision to move some of Piana's papas to other communities within the Eparchy, a move which, it should be noted, was entirely within his rights.
It should be noted that all these incidents involving the actions and reactions of clergy and faithful have no precedent in Piana degli Albanesi.
The Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi is currently experiencing a very delicate and critical moment, due to several factors, both natural and induced, and perhaps deliberate. Among these factors are the growing trend of a declining number of faithful who, for various reasons, do not attend church; the internal management of the Eparchy, which has led to high levels of conflict among some priests in particular; and the perceived financial management, which is increasingly distant from the needs of the people, the faithful, and the Eparchy in general, giving the impression instead that it is more closely aligned with personal interests or those of a small group. There was a period in particular in which many cooperatives proliferated without any real openness to the community, without an assessment of their actual capacity based on solid business plans or expressions of interest, and unfortunately with little transparency, which, especially in a local context, should be the main characteristic. Several reports from Calabria and from our own Piana have highlighted this in black and white. A sort of magic circle from which, according to them, someone certainly benefits and has benefited.
The newly appointed Bishop will certainly have a lot to do. He will have to work to restore balance, harmony, and hope—not only within the Eparchy, but even more importantly among the faithful and the laity in general. We all need this Bishop to be an authoritative leader, impartial, and to bring unity, peace, and hope.
The new Eparch will have much to work on within his Eparchy, including the protection of the extraordinary and unique monumental and book heritage. He will also have to restore our rite and language to an absolutely primary position, as has always been the case with the Arberëshe Church, and he will be able to draw inspiration from figures like Father Giorgio Guzzetta or all the great men of letters and fathers of literature who were priests. He will also have to work to restore transparency to the Eparchy.
The list would be very long, and even though I know the new Bishop is a determined person, I certainly don't want to burden him with responsibilities that evidently don't belong to him, given the current state of affairs, but for which he will nevertheless be responsible when he takes possession of his Eparchy.
The new Eparch will have many, many things to do, but each of us has a duty to stand by him, not only with prayer for those who believe, but with concrete and ongoing support, a positive spirit, and the desire and ambition to be part of a change in which we must all, each in our own way, engage as protagonists and not mere extras.
For years, we have asked for an Eparch who knows our rite, our language, and who can be our guide. Now we finally have him.
Visitpiana and I are personally ready from now to stand by our Eparch Raffaele de Angelis and support him in any action that can unite our community, because this, in my opinion, is the only path forward.
To be united and to be a community, with our Eparch Raffaele De Angelis.
Τον Δεσπότην και Αρχιερέα ημών,Κύριε φύλαττε, εις πολλά έτη Δέσποτα.
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Salvatore Vasotti
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