Italy’s Byzantine Catholics by Msgr. Eleuterio F. Fortino The
Byzantine Catholic Church in Italy is characterized by a unique
phenomenon. Although Byzantine, this church has been under the
jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, the pope, since the sixth
century except for a period of 400 years beginning in 731. This
Byzantine presence in southern Italy knows two phases: Italo-
Greek and Italo-Albanian. These phases are clearly distinct for
historical, cultural, ethnic and linguistic reasons, reflecting
the general consciousness of the nations Byzantine Catholics.
The Italo-Greek Phase. The byzantinization of southern Italy
began during the reign of Emperor Justinian I (527-565) with a
military campaign launched by General Belisarius in 535. In time
a Greek Church developed that had, at the peak of its power and
influence in the 10th century, a number of dioceses and two
metropolitan seats. The Greek Church had a substantial religious
influence on southern Italy. The most recent studies of Italo-
Greek saints, hist