Bodyguards, not altar boys, flank pro-marriage cleric

Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco

Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco no longer celebrates Mass in the cathedral of Genoa, Italy, with assistance from altar boys or deacons – not since the death threats began after he spoke out against government plans to legalize same-sex unions.

Bagnasco, recently appointed head of Italy's Conference of Bishops, stirred controversy last month when the group issued a statement directed at Catholic lawmakers, reminding them of their moral obligation to oppose the move toward mainstreaming homosexuality.

In the statement, Bagnasco made a "slippery-slope" case for what could go wrong in Italian society if the Church's moral position was not upheld.

"Why say ‘No’ to forms of legally recognized cohabitation which create alternatives to the family? Why say ‘No’ to incest? Why say ‘No’ to the pedophile party in Holland?” he asked.

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Following the comments, threatening messages – "Shame on you, Bagnasco" and "Death to Bagnasco" – signed with the five-pointed star of the Red Brigades terror group were painted on the walls in the city, including those of the cathedral.

The Red Brigades, very active in the 1970s, have assassinated several senior Italian public figures in recent years. Fifteen alleged members of the communist organization's members were arrested and jailed three months ago, reported the Glasgow Sunday Herald.

Recently, a mailing to the archbishop included a bullet and the cleric's picture with a swastika scrawled on it.

While police do not presently believe the bullet's sender is affiliated with any terrorist group, they've taken no chances.

Ironically, in the battle that is pitting religious and secular views of morality against each other, taxpayer-funded policeman are now standing in for altar boys during Catholicism's most sacred ritual.

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