Diocese of Bela

{{Short description|Roman Catholic diocese in Greece}} The '''Diocese of Bela''' is a Roman Catholic titular diocese in Greece.

==History== Bela was a medieval fortress town and bishopric in Epirus, northwestern Greece.

Bela first appears in the mid-10th century, when the Byzantine Empire's ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' mention the see of "Photice, that is Bela" (Φωτικῆς ἤτοι Βελᾶς), implying that the seat of the bishopric of Photice, a suffragan of the Metropolis of Naupaktos, had been moved to Bela. This move was temporary, since from the mid-11th century, Photice is again mentioned without further additions.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|pp=123, 236}} Its only recorded bishop during that time, Constantine, is known from a 10th-century episcopal seal.<ref>{{Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art|volume=2|pages=15-16}}</ref>

From the early 13th century, however, Bela is attested as a separate bishopric, held by Manuel Makres.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=123}} It is possible that during the 13th century, Bela formed also a province (theme), but this is unclear.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=123}} It appears that by 1367, Bela and nearby Dryinopolis were no longer suffragans of Naupaktos, but of the Metropolis of Ioannina, as indeed is confirmed from the late 15th century on.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=123}}

==Restoration== The see, Eastern Orthodox throughout its existence, was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric. It has had the following incumbents:<ref name="GCatholic">{{cite web | url = http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t0288.htm | title = Titular Episcopal See of Bela | publisher = GCatholic.org | accessdate = 21 December 2018}}</ref>

* José Alves Martins (1935.11.15 – death 1950.04.14) as emeritate * Bernardo Arango Henao, Jesuits (S.J.) (1950.04.18 – 1962.10.27), while Apostolic Vicar of Barrancabermeja (Colombia) * Gerard William Tickle (1963.10.12 – death 1994.09.14), while Military Vicar of Great Britain (UK) (1963.10.12 – 1978.04.24) and on emeritate * Gerald Frederick Kicanas (1995.03.20 – 2001.10.30), while Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (Illinois, USA) * Santiago Silva Retamales (2002.02.16 – 2015.07.07), while Auxiliary Bishop of Valparaíso (Chile) * Ricardo Orlando Seirutti (2015.11.07 – today), Auxiliary Bishop of Córdoba (Argentina)

==References== {{Reflist}}

== Sources == * {{Tabula Imperii Byzantini | volume = 3}} * [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t0288.htm GCatholic data for all sections] * Raymond Janin, lemma 'Belle' in ''Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques'', vol. VII, 1934, col. 794

Bela Category:1933 establishments