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Father Giannicola Maria Simone, 65, was standing outside his church in central Milan as hooded protesters swarmed nearby and started to gesture towards the congregation.
The priest said he had been watching the chaos unfold from inside the Church of Sant’Alessandro di Zebedia when he saw crowds moving closer.
The surrounding streets of Piazza Sant’Alessandro were quickly packed out with lawless demonstrators.
Father Giannicola rushed outside and ushered anyone stranded nearby inside the church where they would be safe.
The hero priest gave shelter to dozens of tourists and locals as well as his usual crowd of churchgoers in northern Italy.
As he was beckoning people in from the church steps, a group of several young protesters stormed past as one showed the middle finger to Father Giannicola.
The holy figure responded by returning the favour.
Father Giannicola said the viral footage was his genuine reaction and he had no idea he was on camera at the time.
He told local media: “As these young people were passing, someone showed me the middle finger. They are young, so I am not surprised.
“I responded by showing him the middle finger as well, but without any violent intentions or any risk of provoking further anger.”
The priest has said he has no regret over the obscene gesture.
He added: “I would understand if I had punched someone, but I have never raised my hands against anyone, even in the most difficult moments.
“I am 65 and have worked with young people all my life, and sometimes you have to tell them, ‘Be careful what you are doing’.
“Outside the context of the clashes, I would never have done anything like that.”
Father Giannicola also revealed that he had tried to speak to some of the young people gathering outside his church.
He said most of them confessed to only turning up because they saw everyone else coming and didn’t want to be left out.
The priest said the issue of youth violence is a major concern which needs addressing.
“If young people are bored, it is because we have shut them all away and left them with only a smartphone, something fake,” he added.
Italy has been faced with major riots across the past week as hundreds demonstrated against rising living costs across Europe.
While many of the protests were peaceful, at least 50 people were arrested after shops were smashed up and cops were attacked.
Footage showed the clashes as French police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent protesters at rallies.
Italy was forced to declare new security measures on Tuesday in response to the chaos which mainly targeted Milan ‘s central shopping district.
A government decree calls for the deployment of an additional 500 soldiers to Milan through to the end of the year.
Parents will also now be responsible for paying for any damage caused by their children.
Officials are also hoping to pass a new law which will make it easier to prosecute minors aged over 14 if they are involved in violence.
Milan police said 2,000 youths participated in the riots on Saturday night alone with more than 30 minors arrested.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said after the worst of the heated protests: “Young people came to the square to smash things, steal and film themselves doing it.