Felice Palamara, parish priest of the village of Pannaconi de Cessaniti, in the Calabria region, southern Italy, suffered an attempted poisoning with bleach that had been introduced into the wine used to celebrate mass, after the municipality was intervened for alleged mafia infiltrations.
During the mass this Saturday afternoon, the priest consecrated the vials of water and wine but as he brought the chalice to his mouth, he noticed a strange smell that put him on guard and he interrupted the celebration telling the faithful that he was not feeling well. and called the police, the newspaper "Corriere della Sera" reports today.
Analysis immediately confirmed the presence of bleach in the blisters. "I am sure that this latest intimidation does not come from my parishioners. I have been in Pannaconi for ten years and I have always had a relationship of love and mutual affection with the local people," Father Felice underlines to the Italian newspaper.
He explains that this is not the first intimidation he has suffered because a few days ago his car was damaged and in his mailbox he found several anonymous letters with death threats, although this time the bleach could have cost him his life, adds "Corriere della Sera ".
According to investigations and after other intimidations of other priests in the area, threatened by their calls to the population for legality, it is suspected that they may have disturbed those in those towns who hope to legitimize power through blackmail and intimidation.
After the threats suffered by the priest, by order of the police commissioner of Vibo Valentia, he has been assigned 24-hour surveillance.
The city is now governed by an auditor, after the mayor resigned last August following a police operation into possible mafia influences in the local administration.
The bishop of Vibo Valentia, the province to which the town belongs, Atilio Nostro, declared in a note after visiting the parish priest: "The diocese is experiencing a moment of suffering due to acts of intimidation that have nothing to do with the normal Christian life of parishes. For this reason, I make a new appeal to Christian communities not to let themselves be discouraged by this language of violence. We must not give in to this logic, allowing ourselves to be tempted by despair and anger."
The community of Pannaconi also expressed its solidarity with the priest: "We will not allow anyone to harm our parish priest, no one will be able to stop a people that wants and deserves redemption and that wants to grow."
