Busted at mass: Ischia's fake priest
The Local Italy - [email protected] •
12 Jun, 2015
Updated Fri 12 Jun 2015 10:00 CEST
A 60-year-old man has been charged with identity theft after allegedly parading around the Italian island of Ischia as a priest and hosting mass in private homes.
The man, from Salerno, called himself Father Flavio, and was trusted by the faithful of the community of Forio, a town in the Bay of Naples island, Tele Ischia reported.
His faithful flock regularly invited him to perform religious ceremonies in their homes, the news website said.
But after a tip-off from priests in the area, who suspected him to be a fake, the police surprised him as he celebrated mass in a private home in Forio.
The man was reportedly a "serial" fake priest, having also posed as one in Benevento, Campania and L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
By Louise Naudé
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The man, from Salerno, called himself Father Flavio, and was trusted by the faithful of the community of Forio, a town in the Bay of Naples island, Tele Ischia reported.
His faithful flock regularly invited him to perform religious ceremonies in their homes, the news website said.
But after a tip-off from priests in the area, who suspected him to be a fake, the police surprised him as he celebrated mass in a private home in Forio.
The man was reportedly a "serial" fake priest, having also posed as one in Benevento, Campania and L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
By Louise Naudé
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