Don Maurizio Patriciello replies to governor De Luca: 'A stab in the heart'

Clash between the premier Giorgia Meloni and the president of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca, after the latter called don Maurizio Patriciello - the parish priest of Caivano under escort for Camorra threats - the 'Pippo Baudo of the northern area of Naples'. "De Luca mocks don Patriciello, a frightening signal," was the premier's comment. 'A stab in the heart', defined De Luca's sentences, the priest interviewed at the microphones of Radio24.

Don Maurizio, how do you comment on Governor De Luca's 'offences'?
Yesterday after a day's work I arrived home really tired, just wanting to rest a little and read something in peace. I read this news on social media and felt it like a stab in the heart. If an enemy had insulted me I would understand. I am under escort because the enemy wants to harm me, wants to silence me, the Camorra has put a bomb outside my church, my work bothers me but I only proclaim the Gospel which is dignity, freedom, solidarity, but also denounces evil. The other day there was a conference in Montecitorio on the premierate, there were speakers of the highest cultural and political depth, of different political affiliations. I was also invited, not by Prime Minister Meloni, but by the commissioner we have in Caivano. I greatly appreciated the speeches, all of the highest level.

How do you explain this attack then?

I am a priest, I have always asked the institutions for help, starting with the local ones, but if the local administration is in league with the Camorra, who should I turn to? Over the years I approached the Renzi government, then I approached the Conte government, and then we came to the terrible rape of two little girls. So, this summer, I addressed Meloni directly, with a message: come and bring the state back to this place where the state is not, I wrote to her. She then came, a week later, on 31 August and made commitments that she is keeping. Mine is not a judgement on the Meloni government, I am a priest, mine is a testimony on what the government is doing in Caivano. I have never entered into political problems, nor do I want to. But now I have a duty to answer. It pains me that a governor starts mocking a priest who lives under escort, publicly, calling him Pippo Baudo. To De Luca I say if you wanted to offend me you succeeded, but if from tomorrow the Camorra will mock me, this nasty, ugly, dangerous thing is also due to my governor and this is something that really makes me suffer a lot.