May 24, 2013. (Romereports.com) For the first time, Pope Francis met with all Italian bishops. The gathering with more than 250 bishops, marked the end of their Plenary Assembly and the Pope made it a point to make two very direct requests. With more than 226 dioceses in Italy, he asked bishops to reduce the number of dioceses to prevent so called 'careerism.' He also asked them to directly deal with Italy's public institutions, as opposed to passing on that responsibility to the Vatican.
POPE FRANCIS
“I know there's a commission for this, to lower this excessive number of dioceses. It's not easy, but there is a commission for it. We must move forward with fraternity. Italy's Episcopal Conference should embrace this dialogue with Italy's cultural, social and political institutions. This is your task. Onward!