Too many church burglaries, and Carrara Cathedral, one of the most important monuments in northern Tuscany, is closing to the public. This was decided by the parish priest, Don Piero Albanesi, after the church, located in the heart of the city of marble, suffered five burglaries in the past four months. Of these five burglaries, three took place in broad daylight: the last one occurred on Jan. 6, around 2:30 p.m., when two people, Albanesi let it be known, broke into the cathedral and, after attempting to break into the cabinet behind the high altar and the tabernacle of the holy oils, broke open the tabernacle’s security door with a large screwdriver and stole two pyxes, used for religious services. The two thieves then targeted the almoner in front of the altar of St. Ceccardo, unsuccessfully pulling off the heist. Law enforcement officials were informed of the theft.
To protect the building, the parish priest has decided to close Carrara Cathedral to the public , indefinitely: at the moment all that is known is that it will open on the occasion of Saturday’s Mass. Fr. Albanesi has not yet made it known whether, after Saturday’s mass, which will be held at 5 p.m. in the presence of the bishop of Massa and Carrara, the monument will be regularly reopened to visitors and faithful. “I do so,” the pastor said in a note circulated via the Carrara Cathedral Facebook page, “because history must be guarded and protected. I do it so that this discomfort does not amplify and may upset the weakest: the peace of children, the serenity of the elderly, the life of our community. It is not right that so many labors are thwarted and poisoned by unscrupulous, merciless and disrespectful people. The doors of the church have always been open for everyone, but after someone dared to desecrate the door of the tabernacle, this gesture is necessary while waiting to repair the damage and so that everyone will feel called to live with even more strength in belonging.”
Many messages of solidarity arrived from citizens, who showed their support for the priest’s choice. The mayor of Carrara, Serena Arrighi, also made herself heard: “I am close to Don Piero Albanesi and the parish community of Sant’Andrea for the thefts suffered,” she said, also on Facebook. “What happened is an open wound for the whole city, because it touches one of its most important symbols and jewels. As an administration we are in close contact with the diocese and law enforcement to reconstruct what happened and help them identify those responsible. Security is a priority for everyone, and that is why we have been engaged for some time on several fronts: on the one hand renewing the request to the government to reinforce the personnel of law enforcement in the territory, and on the other hand with active policies such as the work on new street lighting throughout the historic center that will start in the coming months, but also with the organization of events capable of animating the city. We continue to guard the places in our city and improve security measures so that episodes like this can cease once and for all.”
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| Too many thefts in Carrara Cathedral: parish priest closes monument |
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