Rome church condemns swastika-draped casket at funeral

ROME — The Catholic Church successful Rome connected Tuesday powerfully condemned arsenic “offensive and unacceptable” a ceremonial procession extracurricular a section religion successful which the casket was draped successful a Nazi emblem and mourners gave the fascist salute.

Photos and video of the country extracurricular St. Lucia religion pursuing the Monday ceremonial work were published by the Italian online quality portal Open. They showed astir 2 twelve radical gathered extracurricular the religion arsenic the swastika-draped casket emerged, shouting “Presente!” with their close limb extended successful the fascist salute.

In a connection Tuesday, the Vicariate of Rome powerfully condemned the country and stressed that neither the parish priest, nor the clergyman who celebrated the funeral, knew what was going to transpire extracurricular aft the ceremonial Mass ended.

It called the swastika-emblazoned Nazi emblem “a horrendous awesome irreconcilable with Christianity.”

“This ideological and convulsive exploitation, particularly pursuing an enactment of worship adjacent a ineffable place, remains serious, violative and unacceptable for the religion assemblage of Rome and for each radical of bully volition successful our city,” it said.

The connection quoted the parish priest, the Rev. Alessandro Zenobbi, arsenic distancing himself and the religion from “every word, motion and awesome utilized extracurricular the church, which are attributed to extremist ideologies acold from the connection of the Gospel of Christ.”

Italian quality reports identified the deceased arsenic a 44-year-old erstwhile militant of the utmost right-wing radical Forza Nuova, who died implicit the play of a humor clot.

Pope Francis is technically the bishop of Rome, but helium delegates the day-to-day absorption of the diocese to his vicar, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis.