The associations rebel and define the “sad and embarrassing” message that spreads medieval ideas
“The divorcethe cohabitationscivil unions, the unions between persons of the same sex and any form of illegitimate union, I am a serious attack to the establishment of family founded on marriage”. This is one of the crucial steps with which the parish priest of Cropani Marinacenter of the Ionian coast of Catanzaro, don Raffaele Feroletohe addressed the faithful in view of the patronal feast scheduled for next June.
An open letter, signed together with the party committee, in which the priest asks for contributions from the faithful for the organization of the initiatives, however indulging in a long reflection on civil unions and marriages. Words that have sparked endless controversy on social media, with harsh criticism of the prelate. Among the critical positions also that of Kropos Committee which brings together the associations of the town of Catanzaro: “In the face of such indecency – it is written in the long reply post to the parish priest – one cannot remain silent. All of this has nothing to do with Christianity.”
The letter to the faithful
The parish priest, however, has no doubts: “La traditional family constituted by a man and a woman who, before the altar of the Lord, celebrate the sacrament of marriage, in our modern and developed society it is on the way to extinction. As recently as a few years ago, Christians considered marriage as one of the essential pillars for building a fully fulfilled and happy life. The numbers – he added – tell us that in recent decades religious marriages have dramatically decreased and the rare families that are born under God’s blessing prove to be increasingly fragile, confused, lost, completely unprepared to care for human and spiritual growth of parents and children”.
Hence the warning to the faithful: “As pastor of this community it is my obligation to remind you all, dear brothers, that divorce, cohabitation, civil unions, same-sex unions and all forms of illegitimate unions are a serious attack on the institution of the family based on marriage”.
A condition that can be “surpassed”, according to Don Raffaele Feroleto, starting “a renewed and constant work of evangelical formation” which consists in “intensifying personal and community prayer, participating joyfully in Sunday Mass, accepting the sacraments with great faith ”. The letter then concludes with the rules to follow to collect the offers of the faithful necessary for the celebrations of the Patron Saint, Don Antonio of Padua.
Associations arise
On the part of the Cropanesi associations, on the other hand, an analysis in full contradiction, to the point that the letter is defined as a “sad and embarrassing communication reached the families by the parish priest of Cropani Marina”. The committee also recalled that “in the summers of 2021 and 2022 we organized the event called ‘Cropani over the Rainbow’, with the aim of celebrating love and discussing civil rights and discrimination. We have often been told that certain topics were not entirely suitable for a provincial context, and we have always replied that our goal was precisely to demonstrate the opposite, as topics such as these concern everyone personally”.
According to the committee, “it cannot be accepted that in a small reality like ours (in which the village parish priest plays a very important role), devotion to a religious celebration can be used speciously to convey discriminatory messages full of hate like those contained in this letter. It cannot and must not be accepted that even in 2023, in which we are all at the center of the world in terms of media, our community is covered in ridicule by medieval ideas. We must not accept that figures of Christianity are brought into play to feed and support hate messages that have absolutely nothing Christian”.
Completely opposing theses, which have opened a hard battle in the small town of Catanzaro, destined to expand far beyond the local event.
The mayor distances himself
The official communiqué of the mayor of Cropani is added to the chorus of protest and voices of indignation, Raphael Mercury and the municipal administration. On the institution’s Facebook page, the position is clear. Starting from the letter of discord, which was supposed to be a simple request for a contribution to the organization of the patronal feast of Sant’Antonio da Padova and not a digression to “explain and underline the meaning of the traditional family”, the municipal administration “distances on the concept of ‘traditional family’ expressed in the aforementioned letter. The family, regardless of religious and sexual orientation, is where feelings of peace, love and honesty exist”.
The post on social media immediately rebounded among fellow citizens and the comments at the bottom range from a flood of emoticons with applause, to more caustic comments for the parish priest who does not recognize civil unions, gay unions and even considers divorce an “attack on the family “.
There is a fear that dissent is not limited to muttering on social media and that the virtual moves to the real. Tomorrow in the parish of Cropani Marina communions will be celebrated and there is anticipation for Don Raffaele’s homily as much as for the possible reaction of some “lost sheep” who want to remain so.
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