Italy: Hosts stolen, bishop challenges satanic sects

In Italy, as well as in France and other Western European countries, we are witnessing a growing wave of anti-Christian attacks, including mostly vandalism against churches. The desecrations do not only have a vandalistic matrix, they are often carried out in hatred of religion, and in addition to radical Islam, Satanists are also among the main attackers. As in Lecce, where the latest (in order of time) serious desecration took place.

The bishop of Lecce Michele Seccia informed the public (HERE the full letter) of a serious event that took place inside the chapel of the hospital in the Salento town. Unknown persons stole hosts from the tabernacle and some pyxes present in the sacristy. The bishop's reaction was decisive and deserves to be taken as an example since it is not uncommon that when faced with these “thefts,” many prelates pretend that nothing happened. Behind the episode, in fact, there seems to be a special theft with satanic purposes. Let us see why.

“Yesterday afternoon,” he wrote, “unknown persons subtracted from the sacristy of the main chapel of the Vito Fazzi hospital of Lecce some sacred vessels used for the Celebration of the Eucharist, and even more importantly, the Blessed Sacrament kept in the Tabernacle was desecrated in the St. Joseph Moscati Chapel of the Oncology pole.

The bishop expressed all his “regret,” pointing out that in addition to the serious desecration, a criminally punishable offense was also committed. The regret is accentuated by the fact that “the Eucharist has been profaned and with it all the baptized: with this vile act the Crucified Body of the Lord has been raped.”

He then addressed the perpetrators: “With the same firmness of a father of the family I address you and you who have committed such criminal acts: convert! By your conduct you have attempted to extinguish the glimmer of Hope of our most fragile brothers and sisters who daily go before the Blessed Sacrament to hand over their fears, anxieties and labors. I also say to you: take courage! There is mercy for all if you return to the Lord contrite in heart. May the merciful God give you mercy and grant you the gift of Hope.”

But the bishop did not limit himself only to this reaction, but also gave evidence of wanting to make amends, showing the faithful that an outrage has been committed and this must be repaired. “Next September 10 (today ed.) at 10:30 a.m. I will go to the place of the incident to preside at the Holy Eucharist and I will arrange that in every church of the diocese open for worship, a Mass of reparation will be celebrated on the same day.”

The bishop's initiative is certainly positive and clearly shows the faithful that when desecrations are committed the first thing to do is to repair the outrage received because even before the faithful, desecration of the sacred species is an outrage done to God.

But how was it possible to steal the consecrated Hosts? And what lies behind this theft? The Compass tried to find out more and discovered that the episode is most likely to be traced back to satanic purposes present in the diocese.

We tracked down Don Angelo Rizzo, one of the two chaplains present at the hospital, who told us a few more details about the dynamics of the events: “There were two thefts,” he explains, “but unfortunately the cameras did not catch them. The unknown persons first went through the chapel of the old hospital where they took all the sacred vessels, but not finding the key they did not have access to the tabernacle. So they went to the not distant oncology pole and once inside they managed to find the key to the tabernacle where, once they opened it, they stole the hosts and also the Host magna for consecration.”

This is a not insignificant detail. First of all, they did not unseal anything or break the door of the tabernacle, but they managed to find the key that was kept in a safe place. “It is likely that this was a well-planned theft, they must have previously observed the movements of Communion ministers to figure out where they kept the key. The hospital is open 24 hours a day, and the tabernacle door is often opened for various needs related to the administration of the Eucharist to the sick even outside Mass times.”

This makes the priest say that surely “the thieves studied how to strike and how to steal the key.”

A targeted theft, then, but why? With what purpose? “It would come to rule out the trail of some hooligan or someone who wanted to damage the tabernacle. Or even just a vandal with a taste for desecration. Or even fences willing to sell the sacred vessels on the black market.

No, the clues most likely lead to a satanic trail. “It seems that they wanted to steal everything necessary for a black mass,” he explains, ”the Hosts, including the Host magna, pyxes and chalices (the ordination chalice of the second chaplain was also stolen, ed.) of little economic value, but of very high spiritual value.

After all, that of the satanic trail is an element that could also be justified by a recent warning issued precisely by the bishop to his priests: “Our bishop,” continued Fr. Angelo, “is also an exorcist (not only by virtue of his episcopal ordination, but also an instituted exorcist) and he recently warned us about the proliferation of numerous satanic sects in the territory of the diocese. The exorcisms he practices have also increased in number recently.”

But a disturbing fact has also presented itself to Fr. Angelo: “Lately on the facade of my parish church we have found signs that can be traced back to satanic sects such as a five-pointed star and numbering and words peculiar to Satanism.”

It will be the investigations entrusted to the judiciary to try to shed light, a regular complaint has been filed by the Asl of Lecce that owns the premises, but the clues seem to lead in all likelihood to the satanic track.

And the bishop in his firmness, especially in involving the whole diocese in the act of reparation, has shown that he has no fear of these outrages. With faith and courage.