Photo credit: the Guardian
The head of the Catholic Church is in a debate against a member of the European Parliament for Italy’s anti-immigration party, ex-General Roberto Vannucci, in the heated debate over immigration in Italy.
Catholic Herald reports that Vannucci had used social media to reply to Pope Francis, who had used his General Audience to describe rejecting migrants as a “grave sin”.
Vannucci wrote, “With all due respect, the Vatican has always defended its borders very well. Why can’t Italy do the same? The only way to reduce the deaths of migrants is to prevent them from leaving, reinforcing the concept that the right to stay in one’s own country prevails over everything.”
Vannucci is not the only politician who’s objected to recent statements from church leaders in Italy. However, because of his personality, Vannucci’s voice may spark a greater-than-usual share of interest.
A former trooper and veteran of operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Vannucci sparked interest in Italy in 2023 when he published his controversial book “Il Mondo of Contrario,” which translates to The World Upside Down!
Among other things, Vannucci referred to homosexuality as being abnormal and told gays bluntly to “get over it.” He also referred to Paola Egonu, a volleyball star of Nigerian descent who recently led Italy to the gold medal in the Paris Olympics. He said, while she might have Italian citizenship, her “somatic features …do not represent Italianness.”
He also expressed scepticism about climate change and opposed the occupation of unused or rundown structures by homeless persons. Meanwhile, the Pope’s right-hand man, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, defended the occupation.
While the book was a best seller in Italy, it produced considerable reactions. The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, removed Vannucci from his military post, saying the book has disgraced the Army, the Defense (Ministry) and the Constitution. The army’s investigation concluded that Vannucci’s book had done “injury to the principle of neutrality of the armed Forces.”
Vannucci decided to go into politics and found a sponsor in the leader of the far-right Laga party, Matteo Salvini. He became a candidate in elections for the European parliament and won a landslide with more than 300,000 votes.
However, the alliance between Vannucci and Salvini has been experiencing hiccups lately. Lega’s performance in the European Union elections and subsequent polls could have been more impressive. Days ago, the Italian polling firm Termometro Politico found that almost ten per cent of Italians would be prepared to support a new party led by Vannucci. According to the survey, it would outperform the Lega.
While plans are on the ground to form a new party, the proposed party’s agenda on Immigration and the environment goes against the principles of Pope Francis and his Vatican team.
