Florence, 19 August 2026 – In a letter addressed to the local clergy, the Bishop of Livorno, Monsignor Simone Giusti, Prior of the Tuscan Delegation, officially announced the appointment of the Reverend Canon Don Donato Mollica as the new Vicar General of the diocesan Church.

As the Bishop explained in the appointment decree, the decision came at the end of an extended period of reflection and discernment, also informed by the numerous recommendations received from priests throughout the area. Don Donato Mollica, identified by approximately half of the clergy of Livorno as the most suitable and preferred candidate for the position, will officially assume his new responsibilities on 1 September.

Educated in the tradition of Saint Benedict, Don Donato Mollica completed his theological studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. He was ordained a priest on 11 July 1999 and appointed parish priest of the cathedral basilica of the ancient territorial abbey of the Most Holy Trinity of Cava, where he served until 2007.

After gaining experience in the United States and Spain, he was welcomed into the Diocese of Livorno in 2008 by Bishop Giusti, who appointed him his personal secretary and parish priest of Santa Caterina in the Venice district. He also served as director of the Diocesan Office for Cultural Heritage, director of the Diocesan Museum and coordinator of the chivalric orders present in the Diocese. In 2015, he was appointed rector of the Cathedral Church of Saint Francis and subsequently became provost of the Chapter of Canons.

Within the Tuscan Delegation, he serves as Vice-Prior with the rank of Ecclesiastical Commander of Grace..