Continuous acts of vandalism by teenagers against a church in Italy

Country: Italy

Date of incident: October 5, 2022


The parish priest Vincenzo Del Mastro, of the "Madonna della Grazia" Church in Andria has spoken up about recurrent and serious vandalism to his church on the 5th of October. He says that in the afternoons and evenings around 20 to 30 teenagers come with electric bikes and invade the area near the main entrance of the church. The priest says that they smoke cigarettes and drugs, are found and damage the flowerbeds. Also, if he tries to reprimand them, they insult him or throw stones at him. They have also defaced the back wall of the church and broke a door. The priest is asking for support from his community.

Don Vincenzo Del Mastro, the community's parish priest, denounced some serious facts: 'Anyone who can helps me and the parishioners in the neighbourhood. This is an abandoned area, it is no man's land despite the fact that we have asked for support several times'.

'They also violate private parish property, because when the church is closed, they climb over and use the spaces improperly', says Fr Vincenzo.

"It is a generation without points of reference because there is a lack of education in the family," says the priest, "but there is also a good part that amazes and allows one to move forward with hope. Adults today must be adults and not try to emulate their children by becoming boys themselves. Above all, they must stop with these justifications: whatever their young people do, there is always a justification."

Source and Picture: AndriaLive.it