Naples – He returned to Pianura to challenge the drug dealers after three years, a gesture of head-on defiance, an act of courage that broke down the wall of silence and fear.
The protagonist of this latest sensational initiative is Don Antonio Coluccia, the vocational priest already known for his tireless fight against drug dealing in the Roman suburbs, so much so that he lives under police protection. Don Coluccia He headed straight for the heart of the drug dealing stronghold: the square controlled by the fearsome Perfetto-Carillo clan in via Evangelista Torricelli, in the Cannavino district, today considered one of the dominant "cartels" in the neighborhood.
Armed only with a megaphone, the Apulian priest burst in, shouting a warning to drug dealers at the top of his lungs: "Only God is perfect." He repeated the phrase several times, punctuated with a tone that shattered the deafening silence of resignation.
The pushers have escaped
The effect was immediate and unexpected: in a sudden stampede under the arcades, the drug market closed its doors.
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The siege broken
The inevitable question is: will it last? Perhaps not. But the message sent by Don Coluccia—founder of the Opera San Giustino and previously threatened in the Roman neighborhood of Quarticciolo for similar initiatives—is clear: a massive presence of institutions, the Church, and, above all, the police is needed here.
The priest is no stranger to the neighborhood. Three years ago, he conducted an initial raid against drug dealers, and then last May, his megaphone thundered in Piazza San Giorgio after a series of nighttime violence and the attack on anti-racketeering association representative Luigi Cuomo, shouting that the Camorra is "against the Gospel."
With this latest action, Don Coluccia isn't just denouncing the degradation and fear gripping Pianura. His goal is deeper: to shake the consciences of citizens, inspiring them to a moral and civil rebellion against those who monopolize public spaces and public housing for the sale of narcotics. His "ballistic sermon" has put Cannavino back in the spotlight and thrown down yet another gauntlet to the clans: the Church has no intention of backing down.
Comments (2)
Yes, it's true that the presence of institutions is important, but citizens must also be more involved. A voice with a megaphone isn't enough to solve years of problems and fear.
It's interesting to see how Don Coluccia has responded to this situation of degradation and fear. But questions arise about how long this change will last. Institutions must do more to help people in these areas.