Rayan Antony

“My revenge is called love, my shield forgiveness, my armor mercy. I will not dwell on obstacles, nor will I be frightened by the darkness,” says Felice Palamara to Corriere della Sera who narrowly escaped from a bleach mixed with water and wine used in the mass in a suspected mafia-related attempt at intimidation.

Felice Palamara is serving as the parish priest of San Nicola of Pannaconi Church in Cessaniti, in the southern Italian region of Calabria. He told the police that on the evening of February 24, during a Sunday vigil Mass, he noticed a strange odor coming from a chalice in which he had placed the consecrated water and wine. This led him to suspend the liturgy, according to Crux.

The laboratory examination later revealed that bleach was present in the chalice. As a result, the Carabinieri, Italy’s military police, started an investigation. Palamara has asthma and heart illness, which would have doubled the risk of his life if he had consumed it, according to local sources.

It is an apparent assassination attempt because he is known for his outspoken stance against organized crime and has been a vocal critic of the ‘Ndrangheta a powerful Mafia network in Calabria. The cocaine trafficking and other illegal operations bring in millions of euros for the criminal organization each year.

This brazen act is believed to be a direct response to his denunciations. Palamara told reporters that he has faced several death threats in the past; his car has been vandalized on two occasions; and he has also received threatening letters.  “I am sure this act of intimidation has nothing to do with my parishioners because I have been here for 10 years and I have always had a good relationship with the people of the parish,” Palamara told Corriere della Sera.

The local bishop, Attilio Nostro, expressed his solidarity with Felice Palamara and condemned the intimidation tactics employed by the Mafia. He stated that the diocese is “experiencing a moment of suffering due to acts of intimidation that have nothing to do with the normal Christian life of the parishes,” reports the Guardian. He urged the Catholic community not to succumb to violence or despair, emphasizing the need for dialogue and peace. Crux cites: “We must accept this language; we must not respond to hate with hate, knowing that it’s not truly possible to dialogue with someone who refuses to do so,” Nostro said.

This is not the first time the mafia has targeted the priest. Mafia members have made many attempts to threaten the lives of priests in the town and civil society organizations that publicly denounce the mafia’s acts. Father Francesco Pontoriero also received death threats and found a dead cat on the bonnet of his car. In another incident, Father Gianni Rigoli’s car was torched and destroyed earlier this month. He is from the parish of Varapodio, near the city of Reggio Calabria, reports The Telegraph.

“An act of vandalism” condemns the Bishops Conference of Calabria against the attitude of the mafia and says that Calabria “cannot and must not be represented by criminals who are blinded by a mafioso mentality. This kind of behaviour does not represent Calabrians.” Palamara said to Corriere della Sera, “We won’t allow anyone to harm our parish; no one will be able to stop a town that wants and deserves relief and that wants to grow.”

Anna Sergi, a professor of criminology at Essex University and an expert on the ‘Ndrangheta, said that the priests were singled out for attack because they had spoken out against the mafia and in favour of law and order, writes The Telegraph.

Palamara has been placed under police escort and has received support from the local community as well, according to Crux. This incident has brought to light the ongoing struggle between the church and organized crime in Italy, where several priests live under police protection due to their anti-mafia activism.

Photo: Father Felice Palamara. (Screen Capture, via Crux)