Palermo: Parishioners’ cars stolen during Mass, priest appeals: “We are abandoned”

Last Updated: October 14, 2023

“It is not possible, it is no longer tolerable that every day, while we celebrate Holy Mass, the vehicles of the faithful and many other people in the neighborhood and in the neighborhood are stolen. Enough! Enough!”. These are the desperate words of Don Salvatore Petralia, the parish priest of the church of San Giovanni Apostolo, located on Via Barisano da Trani, in Cep di Palermo. In a long post shared on social media, the priest expresses his frustration and emphasizes the need for change. “Convert! Change your life – he says, addressing those who commit thefts and deal drugs in the area. There is a real opportunity for freedom for you. We ask for help from the institutions, from the law enforcement agencies. We are alone, abandoned, immersed in garbage and oppressed by those who steal every day, sell drugs bringing death, disturb the public peace, shoot unnecessary and deafening fireworks. To those who do evil and walk hand in hand with the devil, spreading evil, I say: do something meaningful for the dignity of your life. Do not let yourself be deceived and enslaved by anyone. I ask men and women of goodwill, have courage, do not turn your face away. If everyone does something, then a lot can be done, as Blessed Pino Puglisi once said. Long live the Cep – San Giovanni Apostolo neighborhood, with its numerous beautiful families! Courage!”. Don Petralia then asks everyone to share the post to “sow a new social consciousness and ensure that peace, respect, and love reign”.