Bible Translators Theologians The Lutheran Evangelical Church in Italy (Italian: Chiesa Evangelica Luterana in Italia, German: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Italien, abbreviated CELI or ELKI) is a Protestant denomination in the Lutheran tradition in Italy.
Within the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Lutheran churches were formed in Trieste (1778), Merano (1861) and Bolzano (1889).
Lutheranism flourished in Naples and Torre Annunziata thanks to the missionary work of pastor Idelmo Poggioli.
Other churches were formed, notably in Catania (1991), Verona (2008) and Turin (2009),[1] under the supervision of CELI/ELKI, which was a founding member of the FCEI in 1967.
[3] The denomination includes 15 communities, some of which covering entire regions,[4] and about 7,000 baptized members.