Ecclesiastical region of Abruzzo-Molise

The Abruzzo-Molise ecclesiastical region was established on 12 November 1976 with the decree Eo quod of the congregation for bishops (AAS 1976, 678-680), when the new ecclesiastical province of Molise, erected in the previous August, was aggregated to the Abruzzo episcopal conference. . It consists of eleven dioceses, grouped in the ecclesiastical provinces of Chieti-Vasto (with the suffragan of Lanciano-Ortona), L'Aquila (Avezzano and Sulmona), Pescara-Penne (Teramo-Atri), Campobasso-Boiano (Isernia-Venafro, Termoli-Larino, Trivento), and extends over an area of 15,472 km2, corresponding to that of the two regions, which became civilly independent only since 1963, with a total current population of 1,542,738, 1059 parishes and 1360 priests. Main patrons: BVM Addolorata, of Castelpetroso, for Molise, and San Gabriele dell'Addolorata for Abruzzo.

HISTORY

I - The origins

In the vast territory where the various peoples of Samnite and Sabellic origin lived (pretuzi, vestini, marrucini, peligni, marsi, caraceni, equi, frentani and pentri), later better known as "italici" due to the political-military leagues ( social war, 91-88 BC) organized against Rome, over time presided over by Corfinium (Italy), Bovianum and Aesernia, Christianity has ancient roots, facilitated by a non-negligible road plexus that connected the territories of the two regions, and these with nearby Rome, the capital of the Empire. After Lucio Cornelio Sylla had quelled the ardor of the Samnite rioters in the blood, the emperor Augustus, unifying Italy into eleven administrative districts, set the geographical limits of the current Abruzzo and Molise between the I Regio (Latium-Campania, with Venafrum), II (Hirpinia-Apulia-Calabria, with Larinum), IV (Sabina-Samnium) and V (Picenum). The latter included, among others, the centers of Alba Fucens (near Massa d'Albe), Carsioli (Carsoli), Marruvium (San Benedetto dei Marsi), Aveia Vestina (near Fossa), Amiternum (near L'Aquila) , Peltuinum (Prata d'Ansidonia), Aufinum (Ofena), Pinna Vestina (Penne), Hatria (Atri), Corfinium (Valva), Sulmo (Sulmona), Teate Marrucinorum (Chieti), Hortona (Ortona a Mare), Anxanum ( Lanciano), Histonium (Vasto), Aufidena (Alfedena) Bovianum Undecumanorum (Boiano), Saepinum (Altilia, near Sepino), Aesernia (Isernia), Terventum (Trivento), and Interamnia Prætut ti (an) orum (Teramo) in the Piceno. The ancient road system is that which, better than any other aspect, proves the commonality of events and life of these two sister regions, also from the point of view of the first evangelization.