A suspected mafia member allegedly tried to kill a parish priest by pouring bleach into his altar wine.
Don Felice Palamara had to halt Mass on Saturday (24 Feb) after falling unwell from smelling the chemical.
He has a heart condition and suffers from asthma.
The bleach was allegedly slipped into his bottle of water and into the altar wine he was supposed to drink during the ceremony.
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It is not the first time Don Felice has been threatened in Pannaconi, Calabria, Italy, it is understood.
His car was reportedly damaged twice last month.
And in recent weeks, he’s received several anonymous death threats.
The local bishop has also reportedly been targeted.
Another local priest, Don Francesco Pontoriero, found a dead cat on his car bonnet in recent days.
It’s possible the churchmen are being intimidated because they preach against crime and violence, local media reports.
Don Felice reported the latest incident to the police.
Tests confirmed that the substance found in the bottle and cruet was, indeed, bleach.
Officers are now reviewing footage from nearby CCTV cameras in a bid to identify the perpetrators.
It’s possible they belong to a mafia.
Last August, the mayor of Pannaconi was forced to resign after the local administration was investigated for alleged mafia infiltration.
Don Felice told local media: “I’m certain that this latest intimidation doesn’t come from my parishioners.
“I’ve been in Pannaconi for 10 years, and I’ve always had a relationship of love and mutual affection with the locals.”
Italy’s Calabria region is notorious for the feared ’Ndrangheta mafia.
The ’Ndrangheta engage in racketeering, drug trafficking, loan-sharking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering.
They also carry out fraud, extortion, murder, robbery, and kidnapping.
It’s now believed the ’Ndrangheta have surpassed the Sicilian Mafia as Italy’s most powerful crime syndicate.
Don Felice thanked the Madonna della Lettera (Our Lady of the Sacred Letter) for his deliverance.
He said: “Your presence was tangible once again. Thank you, sweetest Mother, Mother of the Letter.”
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