Former friar and the sect: new case of religious fanaticism, investigating possible connections to the massacre in Altavilla

Last Updated: May 13, 2024

L'ex frate e la setta: nuovo caso di fanatismo religioso, si indaga su possibili connessioni con la strage di Altavilla

Ex-Franciscan priest investigated for alleged abuse in Sicily

From the apparitions of the Madonna of Trevignano to the arrest for alleged abuse towards a Palermo family that was supposed to be freed from evil in his community Casa Mariana of Collesano, defined by investigators as a real cult. The name of Giambattista Scozzaro, 62 years old, a religious dismissed from his Franciscan order, could be the link between these two events and the massacre of Altavilla Milicia, in which Antonella Salamone and her children Kevin and Emanuel, aged 16 and 5, were killed. Father Giulio, as he is known by his followers, was placed under house arrest in February along with C.M. (the name is not disclosed due to minors being involved), a 50-year-old doctor who allegedly isolated the children, manipulating them against their mother – also a doctor – from whom he was separating.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Termini Imerese is investigating both cases, two similar incidents that occurred within a radius of less than 50 km: the investigations would demonstrate the existence in the province of Palermo of a series of DIY cults composed of fanatics who have built their own doctrine by drawing inspiration from one or more official religions and then breaking away to create a new one, willing to use torture and brutality to achieve their goals.

The full report by Fabio Geraci is available in the Giornale di Sicilia newspaper, featuring the Termini Imerese courthouse and, in the inset, Giambattista Scozzaro.