Italy: Sicilian bishop apologizes after saying Santa does not exist
The statements of the Bishop of Noto on Santa Claus have gone badly with his parishioners.
AFP / File
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
During a religious holiday in Sicily, the Bishop of Noto, Antonio Staglianò, 62, claimed that Santa Claus did not exist.
His remarks aroused the anger to the point of pushing the diocese of Noto to offer flat apologies, to young and old alike.
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With our correspondent in Rome,
Anne the Nir
Monsignor Antonio Staglianò swept away the beautiful story of Santa Claus in one fell swoop.
From the top of the pulpit of the basilica of Noto, a town in southwestern Sicily, he declared, in front of parents and their children, that
Babbo Natale
(Father Christmas, in Italian), "
does not exist
".
And he added that Coca-Cola "
uses the image of its red suit to convey false healthy values for advertising purposes
."
A critique of consumerism that goes wrong
Furious, the parishioners hastened to recount what they had heard.
The diocese of Noto had to issue an official apology.
For his part, the bishop clumsily tried to go back.
He assured that he had only meant that
Santa Claus
is not a historical figure, like Saint Nicholas who gave gifts to the poor and was persecuted by a Roman emperor.
And to conclude: "
I did not want to shatter a dream, but to draw attention to the dangers of consumerism and the true meaning of Christmas and the traditions that surround it
".
►
To read also: Chronicle of raw materials - Christmas turkey: will the bill be salty?
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