An Italian priest, Felice Palamara, was reportedly the target of an attempted poisoning during mass last Saturday, February 24th in Calabria, Italy. The chalice from which he was supposed to drink the wine had bleach, says the Catholic Information Agency in Latin America (ACI Digital).
The priest from the Italian town of Cessaniti noticed, through the smell, that the wine had bleach and immediately stopped the mass to call the authorities to the scene.
According to the ACI Digitally, suspicions fall on the Calabrian mafia, since the priest has criticized the criminal organization.
Father Felice Palamara’s car was vandalized days before the poisoning attempt and another priest from a nearby location received death threats, the outlet reports.
The bishop of Tropea-Mileto-Nicotera, Dom Attilio Nostro, left a statement on the diocese’s website.
“(…) I appeal once again to Christian communities not to allow themselves to be discouraged by this language of violence. We must not give in to this logic, allowing ourselves to be tempted by discouragement and anger. We cannot accept this language, we must not respond to hate with hate, knowing that it is not possible to have a true dialogue with those who refuse to do so (…)”, he wrote.
The bishop also thanked the authorities.
Tags: Italian mafia swaps wine bleach chalice kill priest mass World
