In an open letter (Tuesday), they criticise plans by the government in Rome to abandon particularly structurally weak communities.
So far, 139 cardinals, archbishops, bishops and abbots have signed the letter to the government and parliament.
In mid-April, the responsible ministry published a revised strategic plan for dealing with so-called landlocked areas. It contains four categories for categorising affected communities, including those with presumably "irreversible depopulation".
"Remain socially acceptable"
According to the paper, these areas with poor prospects for economic development and low attractiveness cannot set themselves the goal of reversing the trend, but should not simply be left to their own devices either.
"They need a targeted plan that supports them on their path of chronic decline and ageing so that this remains socially acceptable for the people still living there."
To view these areas "with the same spirit with which one sits down at the bedside of a dying person would - in addition to being a sign of serious political short-sightedness - also be an injustice to the entire nation", the bishops write.
This is because an area without people is more exposed to the forces of nature and favours the risk of new and ever greater environmental disasters. There is also an increased risk of losing part of the huge artistic and architectural heritage that makes the whole of Italy a veritable open-air museum.
Call for support
As bishops of many fragile and abandoned communities, they could not and would not accept the prospects indicated by the strategic plan, they write in the open letter.
"We call on the political forces and stakeholders involved to promote and support best practices and resources on the ground responsibly and with more political and social optimism," the bishops said.
Economic incentives and tax relief should facilitate return migration.
Other possible solutions include flexible working, agricultural innovations, sustainable tourism, regeneration of abandoned villages, expansion of the broadband network and healthcare, for example through telemedicine.
Instead of coming to an end, life in these places could take on a higher quality, according to the letter, which ends with an offer of dialogue with the responsible politicians.