Suspended a divinis from the Ministry of the Episcopal Curia of La Spezia the priest don Giulio Mignani, for having adopted positions that are not in line with traditional ecclesiastical thought. The parish priest of the small Ligurian town of Bonassola knew he was risking the penal sanction internal to Catholic canon law, but he never abandoned his battle in favor of civil rights such as same-sex unions, euthanasia and voluntary termination of pregnancy. Positions deemed “non-compliant with the Magisterium of the Church”, as clarified in the press release released last Monday by the Diocese, in which the suspension of Fr Giulio Mignani from the celebration of sacred offices is made official.
The priest has repeatedly expressed himself in favor of issues he considered aimed at shortening distances between the Church and the faithful, trying to listen to a level that could go beyond the centuries-old ecclesiastical rules. An approach to religion and preaching that made the Ligurian parish priest spiritual guide for various “guilty” faithful of actions deemed sinful, but which had consequences for Don Giulio Mignani, now unable to preach and celebrate mass. A desire for inclusion that has however generated an exclusion for – the diocesan ecclesiastical court clarified – “public externations” far from the teaching of the Catholic Church.
The acts and interventions of peaceful protest but convinced taking of position of Don Giulio Mignani show in reality a certainly atypical approach to the Catholic religion, but not for this reason wrong. That of the parish priest of Bonassola is a desire to embrace what the Church still struggles to accept. Mignani counterattacked, judging the attitude of the ecclesiastical authorities hypocritical and, after refusing to bless the palms in protest against the decision not to consecrate same-sex unions, he made known his thought: «If I can’t bless same-sex couples, then I don’t bless palm trees and olive branches either. In the Church everything is blessed, sometimes even weapons, but true love cannot be blessed and sincere of two people because homosexuals ».
The priest’s words are linked to the vision of a part of the Catholic Church, eager to overcome the past towards a more inclusive future, at a time in history in which the need for spirituality cannot ignore actuality. Because “No faith possesses absolute truths” Fr Giulio Mignani always specified when he wanted to call a day for the respect of every spirituality.
And the same etymology of the verb to respect from the Latin respectāre teaches how necessary it is to look (specter) and not blindly follow the dictates of whom watched to a very different society. Despite then “The State and the Catholic Church are, each in their own order, independent and sovereign” (Art. 7 of the Constitution) the the second still predominantly influences the first (And the intervention is remembered on multiple Zan law) between parties whose name derives from Christian alignments to politicians – usually separate – who support the “traditional family” dear to Catholicism, hinder the termination of pregnancy and question the acceptance of love between people of the same sex, making it difficult for them to be recognized in the eyes of the state and protected.
Returning to the news, according to the episcopal curia of La Spezia, Don Giulio Mignani would have little respectful thoughts for the true faith, so much so that the suspension was announced for the parish priest a divinis so that the his counter-current ideas no longer run the risk of being associated to the Church.
[di Francesca Naima]
“I can consecrate weapons, but not true love”: Don Mignani suspended because he blesses gays