Several
local news outlets reported that a group of faithful walked out of a
Mass Aug. 22 to protest the local church's involvement in covering up
abuses committed by Father Giuseppe Rugolo.
In a video sent to
OSV News, over 20 people walked out as Msgr. Vincenzo Murgano, vicar
general of the Diocese of Piazza Armerina, presided over a Mass at the
Shrine of Our Lady of Valverde in Enna.
Standing outside the
shrine in silence, the protestors held signs admonishing Murgano, as
well as local clergy, for their role in covering up abuse in the
diocese. According to local media, a separate protest was also held in
another parish.
One poster quoted Jesus' words in the Gospel of
St. Matthew: "You serpents, you brood of vipers." Another large sign
stated: "I do not accept sermons from those who cover up an abuse."
Among those present at the protest was Antonio Messina, who was 16 when Rugolo abused him.
Speaking
over the phone with OSV News Aug. 26, Messina said two prominent
priests in the diocese tried to dissuade him from denouncing Rugolo —
Murgano and Msgr. Pietro Spina, parochial vicar of the St. John the
Baptist Church in Enna.
When he first spoke out about his abuse,
Messina and his parents first decided to speak to Spina, who was their
pastor at the time. However, instead of referring the allegations to
church or local authorities, Spina decided to contact Rugolo and
ultimately sided with the priest.
Messina then spoke with
Murgano, and requested to speak with Bishop Rosario Gisana of Piazza
Armerina to inform him of the abuse. However, the vicar general, he
said, "asked me to go away and forget everything that I had been
through."
Rugolo was convicted March 5 on charges of aggravated
sexual assault against Messina and another unnamed victim. The priest,
who was a seminarian at the time of the abuse, was sentenced to more
than four years in prison and barred from teaching and holding public
office.
In its "Statement of Reasons" explaining the guilty
verdict, the court said Rugolo "committed the sexual abuse of two young
teenagers with impunity … fully aware that he could count on the support
of the religious leadership, which helped to reinforce Father Rugolo's
image as a prominent member of the local clergy to the outside world."
The
court’s ruling, which was published July 24, stated that Gisana was
"well aware for many years of the reports made concerning the abuse
suffered by" Messina.
The trial against Rugolo was notable for the public
release of recordings made by the accused priest during private
conversations with Gisana, in which the bishop admitted to covering up
the abuse.
Gisana continues to lead the Diocese of Piazza
Armerina even though his admitted actions would be subject to
investigation under "Vos Estis Lux Mundi" (You are the light of the
world), the pope’s 2019 document that sets out procedures that hold
responsible bishops, religious superiors, and others in the case of
covering up abuse.
Messina told OSV News he had sent a letter and
two CDs March 25 containing chat messages by Rugolo, as well as the
recordings of Gisana admitting to covering up the priest’s abuse, to
Pope Francis, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery
for the Clergy and the Dicastery for Bishops.
A request sent by OSV News to the Vatican press office Aug. 27 to confirm if the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith is looking into Gisana is currently awaiting a response.
The Archdiocese of Agrigento, the metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province where the Diocese of Piazza Armerina was located, was also contacted by OSV News Aug. 27. As of press time, the archdiocese did not respond.
Gisana said July 26 in the Italian newspaper La Stampa that he had "not 'facilitated the predatory activity' of anyone," and that once the crime was reported — committed when he was not yet the bishop of the place — he acted.
Messina also indicated that recent coverage of his case, including a
successful seven-episode podcast series titled "La Confessione" ("The
Confession"), led to the organization of protests by both Catholics and
non-Catholics in the city.
"We found that the most effective
solution was to take part in an act that was also respectful of places
of worship, respectful of the religious service as well as respectful of
the faithful, as a demonstration to the church about these priests —
and the bishop — who played a role in covering up the abuse committed
against me by Rugolo," Messina said.
While some in the small
Italian community are devoted Catholics and still defend the church’s
actions, Messina said that among the faithful who saw the protest, there
was a growing "awareness and a desire on the part of many people to
participate in future initiatives."
Messina told OSV News that he
felt he had a "duty to be" present at the silent protest and was
encouraged by the presence of the people of Enna and all those who want
to ensure that justice is served not only to those who abuse but also to
those who enable abuse.
"For me, there is almost a sense of
satisfaction," he said, "that what we are doing is correct given that,
beyond the decisions made by the Italian justice system, there is a
church that instead remains silent."