Archdiocese of Foggia-Bovino marks 40 years since its founding

The Archdiocese of Foggia-Bovino marks 40 years since its founding on September 30, 1986. The archdiocese was created when the Congregation for Bishops issued a decree uniting the two separate dioceses into a single ecclesiastical reality.

The merger followed a reorganization of Italian ecclesiastical districts initiated after the Second Vatican Council. Pope John Paul II approved the criteria for this reorganization on September 27, 1986, allowing the Congregation for Bishops to implement the changes. The decree stated that the union would help the dioceses better carry out their pastoral mission by addressing social, cultural, and community changes.

The new archdiocese established its seat in Foggia, where the cathedral became a Metropolitan Cathedral. While the unified entity took the name Archidioecesis Fodiana-Bovinensis, the ancient cathedral in Bovino retained its historical significance.