Tense moments erupted today at the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, in Caivano's Parco Verde . During Mass, a man approached Father Maurizio Patriciello while he was waiting in line to receive Communion and handed him an envelope containing a bullet.

According to the Carabinieri's reconstruction, the man mingled with the congregation and, once he reached the altar, made the threatening gesture in front of the priest, who has been on the front lines of the fight against organized crime for years. The man was immediately stopped by Don Patriciello's bodyguards and the military personnel on security duty.

According to initial information , the perpetrator had a history of psychiatric problems. However, the incident has caused considerable alarm among the faithful and the entire community, already shaken by the previous evening's incident, when a group of people fired several shots in the area.

Pina Castiello, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, also spoke out on the matter, calling the episode "horrifying and shameful."

"A local criminal," he declared, "merging with the faithful, approached Don Patriciello and handed him a handkerchief containing a bullet, disappearing immediately afterwards."

Castiello said he had informed the prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "We won't be frightened," he added. "We won't back down an inch."

Father Patriciello, a symbol of civil commitment against the Camorra, had recently expressed harsh words on social media following yesterday evening's shooting. The priest has long been targeted by criminals for his tireless work defending legality in Parco Verde.

(Unioneonline/Fr.Me.)

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