Forum Popilii (Italian:

Forlimpopoli Forlimpopoli (; rgn, Frampùl) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, north-eastern Italy. It is located on the Via Emilia between Cesena and Forlì. History The name of Forlimpopoli derives from the Roman ''Forum Popilii' ...

) is a Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

. The current Titular Bishop of Forum Popilii is

Robert Joseph Fisher Robert Joseph Fisher (born September 24, 1959) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit since 2016. Biography Early life Robert Fisher was born in Detroit ...

History

Forum Popilii, today

, near

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via Em ...

in Italy, was founded in 173 BC by the Consul M. Popilius Laenas. The first bishop is supposed to have been

St. Rufillus ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy a ...

, appointed by

Pope Sylvester Pope Sylvester, or Silvester may refer to: * Pope Sylvester I (314–335) * Pope Sylvester II (999–1003) * Pope Sylvester III (1045) * Antipope Sylvester IV (1105–1111) {{disambiguation, tndis Silvester Saint Sylvester's Day, also known as ...

, and he is supposed to have transformed a temple of

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic language, Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughou ...

into a church. At all events St. Rufillus is the patron of the city, and the church in which his body is preserved is said to have been an ancient temple of Hercules. In 500 Asellus, Bishop of Forlimpopoli, was present at the Roman synod that passed on the election of

Pope Simmaeus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Mediterranean islan ...

, and in 649 Bishop Stephen attended the Roman council concerning the

Monothelites Monothelitism, or monotheletism (from el, μονοθελητισμός, monothelētismós, doctrine of one will), is a theological doctrine in Christianity, that holds Christ as having only one will. The doctrine is thus contrary to dyothelit ...

. This city had much to suffer from the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

, and in 665 or 670, while the people were assembled in the cathedral for the ceremonies of Holy Saturday, it was suddenly attacked by King Grimoald, who pillaged it and butchered numbers of the people and clergy.Paul Diac., Hist. Lang., V, x. By the

donation of Pepin The Donation of Pepin in 756 provided a legal basis for the creation of the Papal States, thus extending the temporal rule of the popes beyond the duchy of Rome. Background In 751, Aistulf, king of the Lombards, conquered what remained of the ...

, Forlimpopoli with the other cities of the exarchate and the Pentapolis was made a part of the

patrimony of St. Peter The Patrimony of Saint Peter ( la, Patrimonium Sancti Petri) originally designated the landed possessions and revenues of various kinds that belonged to the apostolic Holy See (the Pope) i.e. the "Church of Saint Peter" in Rome, by virtue of the ap ...

. In 1073 during the episcopate of Pietro,

Peter Damian Peter Damian ( la, Petrus Damianus; it, Pietro or '; – 21 or 22 February 1072 or 1073) was a reforming Benedictine monk and cardinal in the circle of Pope Leo IX. Dante placed him in one of the highest circles of '' Paradiso' ...

went to Forlimpopoli to reform ecclesiastical disciplines, and on this occasion is thought to have delivered a sermon on St. Rufillus, which Vecchiazzani, an historian of this city, claims to have discovered at

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Arimin ...

in the Library of St. Jerome. But this is very doubtful. Among the successive bishops, Ubertello (1214) and Taddeo (1285) were noted for their beneficence and their efforts for the preservation of peace. During the 14th century,

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to ...

was at the mercy of petty tyrants and Forlimpopoli was ruled by the

Ordelaffi The House of Ordelaffi was a noble family that ruled the lower Romagna and Napoli from the 13th century to 1504, with some interregnums. History The Ordelaffi origins are unclear, but themselves claimed a lineage with "Lor de Laffia", a Germanic ...

Pope Innocent VI Pope Innocent VI ( la, Innocentius VI; 1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 December 1352 to his death in September 1362. He was the fifth Avignon pope ...

first tried censures as a means of enforcing his commands as sovereign, and sent

Cardinal Albornoz Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, ...

to Forlimpopoli (1355).

Francesco II Ordelaffi Francesco II Ordelaffi (c. 1300–1374), also known as Cecco II, was a lord of Forlì, the son of Sinibaldo Ordelaffi (died 1337, brother of Scarpetta and Francesco) and Orestina Calboli, and the grandson of Teobaldo I Ordelaffi. Initially ...

, however, when the cardinal had left, burned the statue of the pope in the public square, and was guilty of great cruelty towards the clergy. In 1360, Albornoz took the city by force, obliged the inhabitants to abandon it, and razed it to the ground. The episcopal see was then transferred to

Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna (Italy). It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the Via Emilia. History There are remains of a settlement dating from the Iro ...

, and the bishop,

Roberto dei Resinelli The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, an Augustinian, took with him the relics of St. Rufillus. Forlimpopoli was gradually rebuilt, and

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...

restored

La Polla LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

to the rank of a city. The bishop, however, remained at Bertinoro.

Notes

Sources

''Catholic Encyclopedia'' article, ''Diocese of Bertinoro''
{{Catholic Catholic titular sees in Europe