Italy: Christians Told to 'Pray in Silence,' 'Don't Disturb the Migrants'

Parishioners visiting a church in Italy were told they must "pray in silence" so as not to disturb African migrants being housed there.

Some of the faithful hoping to practice their Christianity at the church of St. Anthony in Ventimiglia were surprised when they were told by Caritas volunteers they couldn't recite the rosary and would instead have to pray in silence out of respect to migrants who are living there.

Caritas is ostensibly a Catholic charity, although much of its resources are spent on facilitating mass migration to Europe; the organisation even boasts that it contributes to and seeks to influence European Union (EU) "asylum" policies. Caritas reports that they have been distributing 600 meals a day to migrants in Ventimiglia.

After one of the female parishioners requested that the migrants be taken to another church so that she could recite the rosary, the parish priest, Don Rito, appeared and accompanied her and the other visitors to another church.

The Northern Italian town of 55,000 people has recently been overwhelmed with hundreds of migrants. More than 50 Africans have been crossing into Ventimiglia every day, hoping that from there they will be able to enter France. The town’s mayor, Enrico Ioculano, has said that this is “an untenable situation”.