A priest was targeted in a bizarre attack after a suspected mafia hitman added bleach to communion wine.
Father Felice Palamara has long spoken out about organised crime in southern Italy.
While the parish priest was leading mass in the town of Cessaniti in the southern region of Calabria, he noticed strange smell from the flasks that contained water and wine.
The mass itself was taking place in the stronghold of the powerful Ndrangheta mafia network.
The parish priest was leading mass in the town of Cessaniti
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After immediately suspending the service, he called the Carabinieri police. Tests revealed that the flasks contained bleach.
Police are analysing security camera footage to try to identify who entered the church and contaminated the water and wine with the chemical cleaner, reports The Telegraph.
The priest suffers from asthma and heart problems, meaning he would have been more susceptible to the suspected poison.
It is also not the first time Father Palamara has been threatened. A few weeks ago, his car was set ablaze and he has also received threatening letters.
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The parish priest was leading Mass in the town of Cessaniti
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He told the Corriere della Sera newspaper: "I’m sure that this act of intimidation has nothing to do with my parishioners because I have been here for 10 years and I have always had good relations with the people of the parish.
"We won’t allow anyone to do harm to the parish. Nobody can stop a town that deserves redemption and that wants to grow."
Father Palamara has been an outspoken critic of the Ndrangheta group, which makes millions of euros a year from cocaine trafficking and other criminal activities.
Last August, the local town council was dissolved amid suspicions of mafia infiltration, a measure that is often taken in settlements in Italy’s south, where the influence of mafia groups remains strong.
Father Palamara added: "I feel calm, although I hope that the forces of justice manage to get to the bottom of these criminal acts."
President of a local association called Crisalide, or Chrysalis, Romina Candela recently received an anonymous letter warning her against opposing mafia operations.
She said: "I’m not afraid. I’ll keep on doing what I’m doing. I’m free, whereas they are not."
