The following is the List of the Catholic dioceses in Italy. , the Catholic Church in Italy is divided into sixteen ecclesiastical regions. While they are similar to the 20 civil regions of the Italian state, there are some differences. Most ecclesiastical regions are in turn divided into a number of ecclesiastical provinces. The provinces are in turn divided into a number of dioceses. The sovereign state of Vatican City is part of the metropolitan province of Rome. A metropolitan bishop exercises a degree of leadership over a group of dioceses that are loosely subject (suffragan) to the care of the metropolitan see. This list excludes those archdioceses, dioceses and ecclesiastical territories that are immediately subject to the Holy See. There are 227 sees ('particular churches'), most of which are dioceses led by a bishop. A diocese that is led by an archbishop is known as an archdiocese. There are 40 Metropolitan archdioceses which serve as the seat of an ecclesiastical province. This number includes the Holy See and the Patriarchate of Venice. There are also four archdioceses which are non-metropolitan, having been demoted by papal decree. This brings the number of archbishops in Italy and Vatican City to 44 (i.e. 40 + 4). All the sees belong to the Latin Church apart from three Eastern Catholic sees of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church that use the Byzantine Rite in the Albanian language. All sees of the Latin Church use the Roman Rite apart from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan, which mainly uses the Ambrosian Rite. Episcopal Conference of Italy Exempt The following are immediately Subject to the Holy See, despite not being in the Pope's Ecclesiastical Province of Rome. non-Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lucca non-Metropolitan Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia Diocese of Orvieto-Todi Diocese of Terni-Narni-Amelia Territorial Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore Military Ordinariate of Italy Personal Prelature of Opus Dei Italo-Albanian Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite, the only non-Latin dioceses in Italy) Eparchy of Lungro Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi Territorial Abbacy of Santa Maria of Grottaferrata Ecclesiastical Region of Abruzzo-Molise The ecclesiastical provinces of L'Aquila, Chieti-Vasto and Pescara-Penne are mainly situated in the civil region of Abruzzo while Campobasso-Boiano is situated in Molise. Ecclesiastical Province of L'Aquila Archdiocese of L'Aquila Diocese of Avezzano Diocese of Sulmona-Valva Ecclesiastical Province of Chieti-Vasto Metropolitan Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto Archdiocese of Lanciano-Ortona Ecclesiastical Province of Pescara-Penne Archdiocese of Pescara-Penne Diocese of Teramo-Atri Ecclesiastical Province of Campobasso-Boiano Metropolitan