Italian priest refuses to interrupt Holy Mass despite police intervention
In the Italian town of Soncino, police intervened and tried to stop the Holy Mass being celebrated in the parish church. The officers burst into the temple and, with firm gestures, ordered the priest to stop the celebration. The priest refused to obey their orders and continued celebrating the Mass. The police imposed hefty fines on the priest and all the faithful present in the church.
The officers tried to convince the priest to obey through unsuccessful attempts to contact the mayor of the town. Fr. Don Lino Viola was celebrating a Mass in which a small group of twelve faithful gathered in prayer. He refused to talk to the city authorities, explaining that he was busy and would be able to speak only after Mass had ended.
In an interview with local media, Mayor Gabriele Gallina emphasised that the police would have ended their intervention without imposing fines if the priest agreed to ask the faithful to leave the church— which did not happen.
“Sending them away was not human,” complained the parish priest after the incident. He emphasised that initially, six people were to attend the Mass, but in the meantime, several more appeared. He added that the faithful were at a distance of four metres from each other, which did not cause any danger. Everyone was also wearing protective masks during the Mass.
Finally, the police imposed fines on everyone. Each of the faithful was charged €280. The priest also received a penalty for the same amount. Fr. Don Lino Viola has asked those present to refrain from making payments given that during the Mass there was no danger to life or health.
Source: pch24.pl
