On June 23, in Piazzetta Sansone (Vetrai District) in Scafati, "Pina is getting married to Gina" was held, a mock gay wedding to remind everyone, through a small, theatrical demonstration, that the law on civil unions—which also allows for same-sex unions—is a state law passed by the Italian Parliament. A public meeting was organized by numerous activists from Scafati and Campania, as well as by associations and cultural clubs, such as Ferro 3, ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans), Arcigay, AGedO (Association of Parents of Homosexuals), UDS (Student Union), and the Italian Red Cross. It was a day of discussion, celebration, and freedom, where everyone was able to freely express their feelings and thoughts, without vetoes or prejudice. A few meters away, a meeting was taking place with Mario Adinolfi – a representative of the Popolo della Famiglia – organized by Don Giovanni De Riggi, who shared his thoughts with the press regarding the demonstration underway in the nearby square.
Below, we report the response of the Anpi of Scafati Section "Bernardino Fienga" together with the Circolo Arci Ferro 3.0 and the Union of Students of Scafati.
“Dear Don Giovanni,
We write you a few heartfelt words with the respect we owe to those who have contributed to the life of our city for more than twenty years and with the serenity of those who have peacefully accepted an opportunity for discussion offered by you on the theme of the family with the initiative of last June 23.
A premise is necessary before getting to the heart of the matter: reading your letter there is a passage about "a group of ideologically driven people" who allegedly used violent and gratuitous opposition towards you.
We are sure that you are not referring to us because we did not attack your event, we did not protest, much less did we try to keep your guest from speaking: it is not in our culture.
If you tell us who these people are, we will fight them alongside you with the peaceful weapons of tolerance, democracy and freedom.
Instead, we organized another event, in another location, without causing any disturbance.
On the contrary, others have filed incomprehensible complaints at the Carabinieri barracks in Scafati in an attempt to prevent our assembly, so much so that two of the organizers were invited to the barracks on Friday evening to explain the meaning and reasons for the assembly.
We take this opportunity to thank the professionalism of the Carabinieri of the Scafati station who demonstrated a unique sensitivity and guaranteed a peaceful organization of our event.
Having duly said this, we are happy that you have started this debate on the family, not only for the value in itself that it occupies in the life of each of us, but also to offer an opportunity for reflection on the state of our city community.
We believe this is useful to Scafati, which unfortunately is experiencing one of the darkest moments in its history.
It would be interesting to explore together how it could happen that Scafati fell into the shame of dissolving the City Council for Camorra. A necessary reflection to understand the reasons why so many turned a blind eye to what was happening in the Town Hall and in the city. We have the duty to do so not to judge, but to understand how to prevent it from happening again.
In your leaflet, you talk about “dominant thought” and we ask ourselves what is the dominant thought in the West today?
In our opinion, it is the predominance of a single thought linked to the category of "utility", which is expressed through the distortion of the instruments of technology and finance.
There is, therefore, a reversal of values where the tools have become ends.
We are instead, without rhetoric, for love, peace, democracy and freedom: all values worryingly called into question by the single thought.
We are convinced that secular/democratic thought and Christian thought can together fight this battle of love and peace. Let's talk about it, discuss it, act together.
The human product of single thought is, in our opinion, the affirmation of a selfish and belligerent individual (competitive, if you prefer), as well as divisive and excluding. On the contrary, we believe in the evangelical message of the love of Christ who welcomed into his arms the Magdalene, the adulteress, the Samaritan woman, the poor, the weak and all those that the Pharisaic morality of the time considered outcasts.
We are therefore your allies in this battle of love.
How do we do it together?
We humbly and respectfully believe that Mario Adinolfi is, instead, divisive and not moved by love. We are also ready to discuss the merits of the questions he raises about his idea of family and sexuality, in our opinion, divisive.
We represented in a simple and sober way, in our assembly, the celebration of the State Law n. 76 of 2016, we did not commit any "heresy" and we did not offend anyone; we only made people understand the possibilities that the Italian Republic offers to its citizens, as respectful of the law and supporters of the infinite possibility of human love. Suffice it to say that our assembly was introduced by a young Scout from Scafati and the celebration of the law was officiated by a practicing Catholic Christian.
We believe that the law of the Italian State, which provides for civil unions even between people of the same sex, is not far from the spirit of love professed by Christ for man in his infinite existential forms.
In today's world, does the threat to the family come from civil unions or from the disappearance and precariousness of work? From those who feel and live other forms of love or from the collapse of social solidarity? From the widespread desire for a high and non-dogmatic spirituality or from the affirmation of disvalues that affirm the oppression and exploitation of man by man?
The Gospel is liberation, but from whom and from what? In our opinion, from the single thought that kills man.
The announcement (kerygma) that is at the basis of the conversion (metanoia) of each of us, has its foundation in the Logos of the Gospel of John, which is not only Word, but as its Greek etymology teaches us is, precisely, "relationship", "harmony", "mediation" and "bond". If this is so, it is the task of all men of good will, Christians and non-Christians who believe in love, to live and fight to unite, harmonize, mediate and not to divide.
Returning to Scafati, then, what can men of good will do here? How can we, you and I, fight together against the evil of the Camorra that we have lived and live? How can each of us contribute in love and peace to the good of the community by fighting against poverty, marginalization and the hopeless degradation of many in our city?
This is the challenge before us all, not the cynical personal affirmation by which others sometimes profess themselves democrats, today Catholics, tomorrow perhaps atheists.”
EDITORIAL TEAM
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