But can't a priest go to pride? Why not?
Reflections by Massimo Battaglio
Milan pride took place on Saturday 2 July 2022. A beautiful, oceanic, peaceful event, full of life. And there was also a priest: Don Marco Luca Bertani, young assistant parish priest of the diocese of Bergamo. Nice sign, right?
Those who did not understand or did not want to understand the good signal are the usual fundamentalist sites, those groups of people whose Christianity consists in being scandalized by anything that does not align with the legalist dictates of Constantine and Theodosius. For them, a priest at a pride event is an emissary of Satan (I'm not making this up: they actually commented like that) and must be reprimanded, punished, suspended, perhaps burned alive after being sprinkled with fennel essence.
Thus, the photos of Don Marco Luca began to bounce from one virtual sacristy to another and then spread across the mainstream media. In the meantime, the bishop of Bergamo began to receive unrepeatable "missives" (which, evidently, he did not need).
I will not mention the names of the sites in question unless subject to a substantial payment but it seems nice to me to share another "missive" that your and our friend Marco Narducci sent to Msgr. Beschi via email. Here is the text:
“At the expense of the Monsignor Bishop
I hereby wish to express my full support for the Rev. Don Marco Luca Bertani who, with his presence at the Pride in Milan and Bergamo, testified that being the Church means first of all standing alongside all people, in particular those who fight against prejudice, homophobia and violence , for a more just, welcoming and inclusive society.
I learned that on some sites in the multifaceted conservative galaxy (the scribes and Pharisees of the 21st century...) they have begun to target Don Marco, because he evidently undermines a certain vision of "Christianity" of which they feel they are privileged custodians. For this reason I felt in my conscience the need to show him my closeness and my total support.
Fraternally in Christ, Marco Sergio Narducci”
