Court

Palermo, the parish condemned to pay 45,000 euros for the noise of the oratory's children

An 11-year-long dispute that has seen in the dock of the 'defendants' one hundred children with a passion playing at the oratory of the parish of Santa Teresa

by Patrizia Maciocchi

16 January 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Palermo's Santa Teresa del bambino di Gesù parish must compensate 45 thousand euros to thebuildings forced to put up withchildren playing football, disturbing their peace. The referee was the Tribunal of Palermo, which handed down the first verdict in a long dispute that began in 2015. In the role of the 'defendants' are a hundred or so children who, at the oratory in Via del Parlatore, play football, with the appropriate noise.

The would-be goleaders

And even then it is the judges who whistle the end of the matches, which are held in the presence of the missionary friars, at least until a way is found to mute the aspiring goleaders, who compete on the field until 8 p.m. and even until midnight at weekends. The parish attempts a conciliation, offering EUR 5,000 in compensation to the intolerant inhabitants, which is refused.

In 2019, the court sets a strict ceiling for the end of play at 8pm, with the use of one ball, also indicating the Supersantos brand, a ball that must be put away in August, the month in which the oratory 'championship' must stop. Also in the prescriptions was the installation of foam barriers on the walls. But this is not enough. The judicial battle continues, amidst expertises, testimonies, psychotherapists' bills and prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, demonstrating the discomfort of the inhabitants, in reality not all of them but only a small minority.

Finally, a couple of months ago, the judge's verdict: compensation comprising material damage for the reduction in the value of the apartments and the replacement of the window frames, and also non-pecuniary damage, due to the inconvenience of the apartment buildings.

A proceeding in the course of which it was of no use for the parish priest to show the different point of view of an elderly hospitalised woman who, in a letter written shortly before her death, thanked him for the joy and companionship provided by the vitality of that oratory full of noisy children. Like the elderly woman, other patients in a facility close to the oratory and many other parishioners also felt the same.

The Note of the Archdiocese of Palermo

Patient and pious, the reaction of the Archdiocese of Palermo, entrusted to a note: 'The parish of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus takes note with a sense of responsibility of the ruling issued by the court of Palermo and confirms its willingness to fully comply with what has been established', but also 'reaffirms the educational, social and preventive function of the oratory, which for decades has been a fundamental space for children and young people to grow, be inclusive and social, especially in an urban context lacking in places for socialising'.

Fun and sporting activities," the note adds, "have always been conceived not as a disturbing factor, but as instruments of aggregation and of human and Christian education. "Over the past few years, the parish community has tried to take measures to reduce the inconveniences reported by residents. The failure to reach a shared agreement is a matter of regret for everyone'. Finally, 'the parish hopes that, also in the light of this affair, a broader reflection can be opened on the value of oratories and educational spaces in cities and on the need for constant dialogue between institutions, ecclesial communities and citizens, so that balanced solutions can be found that protect the rights of all'.