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| By Don Lush GJERGJI |
Pope Benedict XV on 13 February 1919 with the special 'Bulla' "Catholic Fideles" established the Diocese - the Eastern Eparchy of the Greek-Byzantine rite, distinguishing them thus from the clergy and believers of the Western Italian bishops.
The reason for this decision and the establishment is that: "The Greek religious believers of the Greek rite, inhabitants of Epirus and Albania, while moving away because of the Turkish rule, migrated to nearby Italy, where they are accepted with love and settled in the province of Calabria and Sicily, preserving the traditions and institutions, the rite of their Church, as well as all other customary laws that have been accepted by their predecessors, maintained by many centuries with care and love ... "The 'Bulla' continues: "We, with full apostolic power, setlle a canonical establishment of a Greek Diocese in Calabria, with the name of the headquarters of Unga - Lungro, with Saint Nicholas' Cathedral from Mira, the ordinary bishop ... ".
The Arbëresh Bishops to this day ...:
Mons. Giovanni MELE
Monsignor Giovanni MELE (1919 - 1979)
Giovanni Mele was born in the Arbëresh village of Acquaformoza (Firmoza) on October 19, 1885. He studied at Cassano, later at the Greek College in Rome. During the years of his youth and the formation of the Priestess he was very zealous, very attentive and determined for his life devoted to God, the Church, the man.
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| Monsignor Giovanni MELE |
Appointed bishop - epark on March 10, 1919. During his long and faithful pastoral service, he was distinguished by zeal, devotion and paternal care.
In his first pastoral letter he had asked from the clergy for help and cooperation for the best leadership of the episcopate.
In 1922, after visiting all the parishes, he wrote the "Pastoral Letter", emphasizing two things: preserving and cultivating the tradition and the Greek-Byzantine (Eastern) ritual and the Arabër-Albanian language.
In 1925, began the publication of the bishops' brochure of Ungrit. Later, in 1940, was organized the Diocese of Grottaferrata, the bishop of Ungaria, the Horas of Arbëresh (Piana degli Albanesi) in Sicily and Abacia of Grottaferrata.
Monsignor Giovanni Mele was an active participant in the Second Vatican Council. Father Vincent Matrangola defined him as "The Godfather of the Provencal God, of the Living Religion, and of Christian Love".
He was also a writer, poet, man of culture and creativity. His poems are written in Albanian and Italian, as blessings, in search for God, service to the Church and the man, full of faith and devotion.
Above all, Monsignor Giovanni Mele was a plain and very humble person. On the 80th anniversary of his birth, he said, among other things, "I did what my weakness and the grace of God enabled me to do."
He went to eternity on June 25, 1979. His successor, Mgr. Giovanni Stamati, in the burial of Msgr. Giovanni Mele said: "Monsignor Giovanni Mele was the Man of the Lord, the Church, of Arbëresh people ..., helping to glorify the God through one voice and one heart."
Monsignor Giovanni STAMATI
Mons. Giovanni Stamati is born in Plataci (Pllateni) on June 9, 1912. He conducted the preparations for the priesthood and the studies at Grottaferrata and Rome. Is irdained as priest on May 2 1935.
Initially he was the vicar of Firmo, demonstrating his human and Christian abilities. Then he was the leader of Catholic youth in Lungro between 1936 and 1965. In 1949 he was appointed a leader or high priest for the Lungro Cathedral and in 1965 he was also General Vicar.
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| Monsignor Giovanni STAMATI (1979 - 1981) |
After the death of Monsignor Giovanni Mele, he is appointed bishop of Lungro.
Throughout his life and his ecclesiastical service, he had several basic goals: the appreciation and preservation of the Byzantine (Eastern) liturgical heritage, as well as Arbëresh linguistic and cultural values.
In 1968 he established the Albanian language in the liturgy. Understandably after the preparations and the interdiozean translations between Arbëresh Horas, Lungro and Abacia of Grottaferrat, with the approval of the Holy See.
Regarding his nature, he was gentle and always in the midst of the people and with the people, with the the clergy as brother and father, the leader and loyal slave of Christ and the Gospel, the local Church.
He died after the 52-year-old priesthood service, 19 years as bishop, by leaving behind indelible traces in the life of the Church among Arbëresh.
Ms. Ercole Lupinacci
Mons. Ercole Lupinacci was born in San Giorgio Albanese (Mbuzati) on November 23, 1933.
He studied at Benedict XV's workshop in Grottaferrata and Rome. Is ordained as priest on November 22, 1959.
During the years 1960 - 1963 he was an assistant at San Dimetrio Magalomartire. In 1963 he was appointed priest at San Cosmo Albanese (Strihari), until his appointment as a bishop.
Pope John Paul II has appointed him as bishop of Horas of Arbrëresh (Piana degli Albanesi) in Sicily on March 25, 1981; is ordained as bishop on August 6, 1981. He led this bishopric during the years 1981-1987.
Pope John Paul II transferred him to Lungro bishopric in Calabria on November 30, 1987. On January 17, 1988, he officially took over the leadership of this bishopric. He resigned because of age reasons on August 10, 2010. He died in San Cosmo Albanese (Strihari) on August 6, 2016, on the 35th anniversary of the episcopal ordination.
Ms Ercole Lupinacci was very active in the ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Should be noted that the Arbëresh are the only ones in the world all the time Catholics, that is to say with the Pope and the Church of Rome, but always Eastern or Byzantine.
Mons. Ercole Lupinacci spoke fluently Albanian, Italian, Old and New Greek, and French.
In the Epistle of Lungro on his death, among other things, is written: "He has profoundly promoted Arbëresh culture, liturgy and Byzantine spirituality, ecumenical dialogue, bright love ...".
His basic aim and purpose was: for the East ecclesiastical wealth to be present and alive in the West as well as preserving the ancient and Arbëresh cultural and linguistic traditions.
He was bishop of Horas Arbereshe in Sicily during 1981-1988, while in Lungro during 1988 -2016.
He visited Kosovo several times, first in August 1973, where he also attended the consecration and first Mass of Don Ndue Gjergji, Don Alexander Kola and Don Lush Gjergji (11 and 12 August 1973).
During our visits and meetings with Nikë Prela, our clergy, with many parishioners and believers, was always joyful and inspirational, especially the fan of the DRITA cultural religious magazine and our publications.
He was and remains a brige of the Arbëresh Church with the Churches in our lands. He was the first delegate of the Holy See in Albania after the collapse of the many years of atheistic communist dictatorship, a task he had accomplished with great devotion and love.
Prior to the appointment of Donato Oliverio as bishop of Lungro, during 2010 - 2012, the apostolic administrator was Monsignor Salvatore Nunnari.
Monsignor Donato OLIVERIO
Monsignor Donato Oliverio was born in Cosenza on March 5, 1956. He is prepared in Cosenza for the priesthood and life, later in Grottaferrata and in Rome. Is ordained as priest in Lungro on October 17, 1982.
Served in San Benedetto Ulano. Later he was responsible for the Catechistic Office until 2003. During 2003 - 2012 he was the bishop's coordinator.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Lungro on May 12, 2012.
Mons. Donato Oliverio continued the co-operation with the Catholic Church in Albania and Kosovo. He has organized celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Albania's independence and visited Albania and the Catholic Church in these areas. He has also participated in the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. Mother Teresa in Prishtina.
He is an open and dynamic man, full of lust and will for work, service and testimony of Christian life, promoter of fraternal cooperation between the Churches and our States.