Despite the long-standing prevalence of Catholicism in Italy, it seems the culture may be succumbing to anti-Christian political correctness as a Catholic cemetery near Bologna has selected to cover crosses on graves to avoid offending those who may practice other religions.
Breitbart News reports that the cemetery, located in Pieve di Cento, will not only cover crosses on graves in black cloths, but will also be using motorized blackout curtains to hide Roman Catholic symbols during burial ceremonies involving other denominations.
Pieve di Cento is a small town just north of Bologna that is home to approximately 7,000 residents. The area reportedly has a small but growing Muslim population, though nine out of 10 residents continue to call themselves Catholics.
Why, then, does an entire population have to be offended to appease a small minority of people?
That is the very criticism posited by Giorgia Meloni, Brothers of Italy leader, Russia Today reports.
“With the excuse of respect for others, they lack respect for our Catholic culture and our traditions,” she said. “Now the Left is beyond fanaticism. This is ideological delirium.”
The move has also prompted criticism from Galeazzo Bignami, deputy of Forward Italy, a center-right policy party in Italy. Bignami contends that covering the symbols of Catholicism is disrespectful and not only offends the Church but the “memory of our dead” by “hiding them behind ‘motorized tents’ in a cemetery to avoid offending other religions.”
“If the administrators are ashamed of our tradition and our culture, they should go and hide themselves and not just behind a motorized tent. If they are not able to bring respect for the living at least they have the decency to leave the dead alone and not involve them in foolishness,” he added.
The cemetary’s new policy is sure to prompt outcry from Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who introduced a bill in 2018 to require all public buildings to display a crucifix.
“The removal of the religious symbols that characterize our community means challenging the principles on which our identity is based,” Salvini’s bill reads. “Respecting minorities does not mean renouncing the symbols of our history, culture and tradition.”
Critics, however, claimed that Salvini’s bill was troublesome. US News & World Report reported that an advisor to Pope Francis had denounced the bill for politicizing a symbol that should be about “love to the enemy and unconditional welcome.” But if the crucifix represents those things, why does it need to be covered?
The presence of crucifixes has apparently been a hotly debated topic in Europe, as “refugees” and “migrants” from Muslim countries have attempted to carve out a home for themselves in European countries. US News & World Report notes that a similar debate broke out when the German state of Bavaria attempted to pass a law ordering the display of the cross at the entrance to state buildings.
Sadly, religious icons that were once a mainstay of many of these countries are under threat. According to Breitbart News, former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had statues at the Capitoline Museum covered during a 2016 visit from Iranian President Hassam Rouhani. That move was met with public outcry from the people of Italy on social media.
Would Muslims cover symbols or their faith if Christians were visiting, or living in, their country? The answer is obvious.
According to Russia Today, Bologna has long been dominated by leftist politics, and is even nicknamed “La Rossa” or “the red one” because of its association with communism. So it is the perfect place to test some of these new PC, anti-Christian policies.
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