Yesterday evening, the diocesan community of Oppido – Palmi in the province of Reggio Calabria was shaken by a worrying event that took place in Varapodio at the end of a Eucharistic Celebration in the church parish church of Santo Stefano, when the parish priest Don Giovanni Rigoli he was attacked by individuals who had attended the function.
The parish priest was pushed and headbutted in the face, and was forced to seek medical attention from the hospital doctors.
The reason for the attack was Don Giovanni Rigoli's invitation to the participants in a mass in memory of an elderly woman to pay their condolences outside the school in compliance with the anti-covid guidelines.
The authorities were promptly alerted and the priest's conditions, who immediately arrived at the emergency room in Gioia Tauro, are under strict observation. The bishop of the diocese, Monsignor Giuseppe Alberti, firmly condemned the attack and expressed his closeness to Don Giovanni: “We are deeply shocked by this act of violence against one of our priests. Attacks against members of the clergy not only hurt the person involved, but also hurt the faith and spirituality of our community.
Certain actions nullify the spiritual commitment of each individual and when we allow such actions to prevail, we risk invalidating the very faith that unites us.”
The Carabinieri are investigating the episode and have questioned numerous people and are close to identifying the two violent perpetrators.
Article published on 17 January 2024 - 07:17
