«No respect for traditions»

The ancient Corpus Christi procession passes among the parked cars. And in Brindisi a new controversy breaks out around a religious rite which has its roots in the history of the city and for which candidacy as a UNESCO heritage site has also been proposed.

The facts

What happened the other evening in the historic center reopened the debate on one of the most important identity events imprinted in the territory’s DNA. In recent years, in fact, the interruption of the traditional procession with the parade horse, that is, with the archbishop carrying the Blessed Sacrament sitting on a white steed, has caused discussion. A stop also occurred for safety reasons, after the fearful fall from a horse of the then prelate Domenico Caliandro which occurred on the feast of Corpus Christi in 2018. From the following year, the tradition which presumably dated back to the 13th century was therefore suspended. And since then, even after the stop due to the pandemic was lifted, the Blessed Sacrament has been carried in procession but without a steed.
On Sunday evening, however, the controversy ignited due to the presence of cars remaining parked along the route of the procession and due to other marching cars attempting to wedge themselves into the procession which was “escorted” by a local police patrol. In the heart of the centre, therefore, to frame the path of the Blessed Sacrament supported by Archbishop Giovanni Intini, a crowd of cars. The problem mainly concerned Corso Garibaldi where, with the new parking plan, it is possible to pass through and park even on holidays. And now the management of roads and therefore the city executive ends up in the sights of the PD-led opposition. The dems entrust to the ink of a note their “deep disappointment for the umpteenth negligence of the current municipal administration which was unable to manage the traditional Corpus Domini procession, an event of great historical and cultural importance for the city”. The Democratic Party talks about lack of respect and brings up the deputy mayor. «It is with regret that we note how the mobility department, led by deputy mayor Oggiano, has not been able to adequately valorise this important moment of faith and identity of Brindisi. The Corpus Christi procession has always been one of the most characterizing and significant events for the local community, and the fact that the procession unraveled among the cars parked along the route represents a lack of respect for the traditions and feelings of the citizens”, the Democrats thunder. Which then widen the scope of the controversy: «At a time when Brindisi finds itself facing important challenges, including the industrial transition and the candidacy as Italian capital of culture, we would have expected greater competence on the part of the administration in preserving and promote our cultural and religious roots. Instead, we are faced with a manifest inability to manage even the simplest issues, such as preventing parked cars from compromising the decorum and peaceful conduct of the procession.” The Democratic Party therefore “urges the administration to demonstrate greater sensitivity and attention towards the values ​​of the community, especially when it comes to protecting the cultural and religious heritage of our city”.

The reply

But the reply from the deputy mayor and councilor for mobility, Massimiliano Oggiano, arrives shortly. «The Municipality – he underlines – has not received any request from the organizers of the event, therefore neither from the cathedral nor from the curia, regarding the possible ban on parking along the procession route, especially as regards Corso Garibaldi. Probably, there was a communication defect, given that the only note, forwarded on May 29th and acquired for protocol the following day, was sent to the local police with the announcement of the procession and the list of streets involved. Nothing else. However, the procession, which was not very long, took place in an orderly manner and without any problems, given that a municipal police patrol was present as always. And precisely because the police are always present to regulate the traffic, not even traffic closures were requested.” Oggiano then underlines that «there are no complaints from the organizers or the faithful who participated. Our offices, which are already undersized, are under great stress due to the organization of the G7 and the red zone. We are working day and night to comply with the requests of the prefecture and the Ministry of the Interior on issues relating to mobility in the city and safety. But if the organizers had asked us to include a temporary ban on parking during the procession we would have done so”, underlines the deputy mayor. Who then launches a jab at the Dems: «The only ones making a fuss about nothing are the exponents of the Democratic Party. It’s unfortunate that they continue to use laughable arguments and that they only manage to make themselves heard by creating unnecessary controversy.”

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Read the full article at
Puglia Newspaper