It was promoted to the status of metropolitan archbishopric in 1982, and its name was changed from the Diocese of Penne e Pescara to Pescara-Penne.

[5] In a letter to the people of Atri of 21 August 1251, Pope Innocent thanked them for their support against the attacks of the Emperor Frederick II.

The political changes had a notable effect on the arrangement of the ecclesiastical provinces in the Abruzzi, as Pope Pius XII was well aware.

He was especially concerned about the substantial movement of population to Pescara in the first half of the 20th century, and the decision of the Italian government, partially due to destruction of parts of the area during the military operations of World War II, to direct its resources toward the rebuilding and improvement of Pescara.

As the capital of a province, Pescara might be expected to become the seat of a bishop; but the city extended over two different dioceses, Chieti and Penne.

[11] Pope John Paul II made additional changes in the ecclesiastical structure of the Abruzzi.

In the Bull Ad majorem quidam of 2 March 1982, he created a new ecclesiastical province, and named the bishop of Penne-Pescara as the metropolitan archbishop.

He assigned the diocese of Teramo e Altri, which had been immediately subject to the Holy See (Papacy), as a suffragan of the new archdiocese.