Bishop Ciro Fanelli

The Holy Father Francis has appointed Msgr. Ciro Fanelli—a priest of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia who has served as that diocese's Vicar General and as Pastor of the Cathedral—as Bishop of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa. Msgr. Fanelli was born on October 2, 1964, in Lucera, in the province of Foggia. After completing the standard philosophical-theological curriculum at the Pontifical Interregional Seminary of Campania in Posillipo (Naples), he obtained a Licentiate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest on September 15, 1990, and incardinated into the clergy of Lucera-Troia. He served as personal secretary to Bishops Castielli and Zerrillo. He has held the roles of Spiritual Director of the Episcopal Seminary, Diocesan Assistant for Catholic Action, Pastor of San Giacomo Maggiore in Lucera, and Vicar General. For several years, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" (Home for the Relief of Suffering) in San Giovanni Rotondo. During the most recent *sede vacante* (period when the see was vacant), he was chosen as Diocesan Administrator. He currently serves as Vicar General and Pastor of the Cathedral of Lucera.