The Diocese of IaÃÂi (or , , , ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Romanian Western Moldavia. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Bucharest. Its episcopal see is IaÃÂi.
Its bishop has been Iosif PÃÂuleÃÂ since 2019. Between 1990 and 2019 its bishop was Petru Gherghel, previously Apostolic Administrator since 1978. Auxiliary Bishop since 1999 has been Aurel PercÃÂ, Titular Bishop of Mauriana, appointed Archbishop of Bucharest in 2019.
It was established in 1818 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Moldavia (a pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction; exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of an ecclesiastical province, but entitled to a titular bishop), on territory split off from the suppressed Diocese of BacÃÂu, which had originally been set up at Siret by Pope Urban V in 1370, due to work done by Franciscans and Dominicans; its seat was transferred to BacÃÂu at the beginning of the 15th century. Abandoned in 1497 due to Muslim persecutions, the See of BacÃÂu was re-established in 1611, and had a succession of twenty prelates until 1789, when it was suppressed. The Catholics of Moldavia were then placed under the spiritual direction of Apostolic prefects, generally chosen from the Conventuals in charge of the mission.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Moldavia was promoted on 27 June 1884 by Pope Leo XIII to Diocese of Iaà Âi (Jászvásár in Hungarian) covering Romanian Moldavia, with Iaà Âi as residence.
In 1921 it gained territory from the Diocese of Tiraspol. On 5 June 1930 it gained the territory of the former Duchy of Bukovina from the Ukrainian Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lviv.
On 28 October 1993, it lost territory to establish the Apostolic Administration of Moldova (now the diocese of ChiÃÂinÃÂu).
Its cathedral is the Our Lady Queen of IaÃÂi Cathedral, in Iaà Âi. The former cathedral, Assumption of Mary Church, is also located in the city.
Other former cathedrals are the Biserica de vizitarea Maicii Domnului, in BacÃÂu, and the ruined Biserica de Maicii Domnului, in Baia.
A minor basilica is the Bazilica Minora Sanctuarul de la Cacica, in Cacica.
, its pastorally served 232,132 Catholics (5.3% of 4,359,762 total) on 46,378 km<sup>2</sup> in 149 parishes, 420 priests (297 diocesan, 123 religious) with 704 lay religious (282 brothers, 422 sisters) and 125 seminarians.
The diocese covers the Romanian region of Moldavia—the counties of Suceava, BotoÃÂani, NeamÃÂ, IaÃÂi, BacÃÂu, Vaslui, Vrancea and GalaÃÂi.
5.2% of the inhabitants are Catholic, with concentrations around BacÃÂu and Roman. Its adherents are predominantly ethnic Romanians, with small Csángós (old Hungarian dialect) and Polish communities.
all missionary members of the Latin congregation of Conventual Friars Minor, O.F.M. Conv.