Naples, Sunday without palm trees: controversy erupts

A different Palm Sunday. The Diocese of Naples, despite some protests from the faithful, has decided that the celebration will be without palms and without holy water.

The relevant parish priests have received a series of conflicting communications, including the latest one that categorically prohibits the distribution or delivery of olive branches, whether packaged or loose.

Naples is therefore going in the opposite direction to what was established by the Italian Episcopal Conference which - to avoid gatherings - asks that ministers and faithful hold in their hands the olive or palm branch brought from home; in the churches of the city, however, this will not be possible.

According to the note from the College of Deans - as anticipated by Il Mattino - given the persistence of the health emergency, and the permanence of the Campania region in the red zone, palm trees are not planned, just as holy water is not planned.

THE controversy

Among the various questions, one above all asks how it is possible that the CEI, in agreement with the Technical Scientific Committee, allows the olive branch and the Diocese of Naples No.

The answer reached the most demanding in four communications that, from time to time, modified the decisions in this regard. At the beginning the deans had decided to follow the directives of the CEI: the twigs could be distributed closed in plastic bags that the faithful would find directly in the church.
The second note changed, however, and urged parish priests to ask the faithful to bring with them the branch to bless.
The third with some other changes, and the fourth communication which retracted the second and also the third.

While the palm-yes-palm-no dance continued, on the websites of the dioceses a stone's throw from that of Naples, one could read instead that the Palm Sunday ceremony would follow the guidelines of the Italian Episcopal Conference which allowed the olive or palm branch brought from home. The palm of discord

“The distribution and exchange of olive branches and bottles for holy water should be avoided, unless they are brought by the participants themselves” and the faithful: but if the whole of Campania is a red zone, why is the palm tree in Nola yes and in Naples no?

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