Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Don Sante: a new career and a few problems

I'm now getting e-mail updates in Italian from Giorgia, one of Don Sante's supporters, who has taken on the job of helping his network of friends keep up with him. For those who are new to this thread, Don Sante is the Italian priest who was suspended from his priestly duties and removed from his parish for publicly admitting his love for a woman and her son. Don Sante argues that he has never violated his celibacy vows and that canon law does not prohibit him from expressing his feelings.

On the good side, Don Sante has started a new job as a truck driver with Tognetto Costruzioni. The photo from our friends at Il Mattino di Padova shows Don Sante at the wheel of his new vehicle. Click on the newspaper name for additional photos of Don Sante on the job.

On the negative side, Don Sante received a letter containing four bullets and a note that said "uno per te, uno per la tua donna, uno per tuo figlio e uno nel caso qualcuno di voi riuscisse a scappare" ("one for you, one for your woman, one for your son, and one in case one of you manages to escape"). Obviously, this was turned over to the police for investigation and Don Sante's house has been under extra security.

Also negatively, the conference on divorced, separated, remarried and cohabitating Catholics' access to the Eucharist had to be postponed to December 1st and a new venue found because pressure was put on to deny Don Sante the use of the Sala Kursal where the conference was originally scheduled to be held earlier in November.

Don Sante's response to these incidents? "Me l'aspettavo, sono sereno. Colpa dei toni usati dal vescovo e dal mio successore". "I was expecting it; I am serene. I blame the tone used by the bishop and by my successor [for provoking these incidents]."

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