Land of Fires, Don Patriciello: “Denying the problem has favored the clans”

Naples – “This sentence shows that for years the deniers have played the game of the Camorra and the dishonest”.

With harsh and direct words, Don Maurizio Patriciello, parish priest of Caivano and symbol of the fight against pollution in the Land of Fires, comments on the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights.

The ruling condemned Italy for failing to protect citizens from the environmental emergency, officially confirming a long-ignored truth.

“The Court’s ruling has enormous value. It shows that everything we have been denouncing for years was true. It means that the volunteers who fought for this cause are extraordinary people,” says the priest.

Don Patriciello emphasizes how the sentence highlights the slowness of the State in evaluating the impact of pollution and the consequent delay in adopting protection measures for the population.

“When we say 'State' we are referring to a complex entity. The State is represented by politics in all its declinations: regional, provincial, national. Governments have come and gone, but denial of the problem has been a constant. We should identify, from time to time, who has chosen to close their eyes to reality”.

The parish priest of Caivano: "From today the deniers will have to deal with this decision"

A clear accusation, that of the anti-Camorra parish priest, who questions who ignored the emergency for years, favoring those who had an interest in hiding the gravity of the situation. "The volunteers, who perform a valuable service for the State, should be listened to and supported, not ignored. We started this battle because we could no longer live here. The air was unbreathable, even during mass. I have celebrated too many funerals because of this tragedy".

Today, the European Court ruling marks a turning point. “If until yesterday their words were worth as much as ours – he concludes Don Patriciello – from today the deniers will have to deal with this decision”.