In Manfredonia, in the Foggia area, the choice to welcome turned into a difficult test, marked by tensions, personal attacks and divisions. At the center of the story is Archbishop Father Franco Moscone, ended up in the crosshairs of a violent wave of controversy for having supported a hospitality project aimed at around seventy migrants seeking asylum.
Following the request of the Prefecture of Foggia and bringing to the attention of the mayor Domenico La Marca and the municipal administration of Manfredonia, a project has been drawn up to welcome around seventy non-EU citizens already present in the municipal areaat the Casa della Carità in Manfredonia which was already carrying out this task until 2019. The structure will act as a CAS, Extraordinary Reception Centre, for the subsequent inclusion of migrants in the SAI project, Reception and Integration System.
The first to be targeted was the mayor himselfwho explained that he had supported the project «in the awareness of the complexity linked to overcoming the settlement of the so-called “pista”, located a few hundred meters from the Borgata di Mezzanone. A complexity that requires institutional responsibility, collaboration between entities and a common vision, already expressed by the territory, the Region and the State, through the action of the Prefecture, for the implementation of integrated interventions”.
After the first accusations Bishop Moscone’s solidarity reached the mayor who firmly underlined that «it is a precise human and Christian duty to welcome these migrant brothers into reception facilities that allow them to take advantage of appropriate social services and common environments to make their lives dignified and worthy of all guarantees, like any citizen. We cannot only remember them when terrible misfortunes happen.”
A solidarity that triggered a harsh reaction, especially on social networks, where offensive comments and personal attacks have multiplied, often accompanied by vulgar language. Some exponents of the centre-right, the minority in the city government, and part of the population, were able to seduce the prelate.
Moscone does not hide his amazement at the harshness of the tones: «I accept criticism, accusations at times, but not the forms of these last days. I didn’t expect it at this time.” The prelate firmly claims the meaning of his work, rooted in the Gospel and in civil responsibility: «Maybe they want to target others and are targeting me. I have the reasons and purposes in mind, but I don’t give in». And he clearly indicates the priorities of his ministry: «I will not give up the two or three points that I have decisively pursued in recent years: peace, welcome and the theme of legality, exploitation and the need to rebuild a different society on this territory». Words that fit into a complex context, marked by profound critical issues: «Ours», he explains, «is a difficult territory, but something is changing. Silence becomes connivance”.
A few kilometers from Manfredonia is the ghetto of Borgo Mezzanone, where over two thousand migrants live in extreme conditions, without adequate hygiene and health guarantees. A reality that the bishop has been denouncing for some time and which makes any attempt at a dignified welcome even more urgent. «We cannot hide what happens in our territory. As a citizen, even before as a bishop, I cannot avoid saying certain things.” Moscone also recalls the responsibilities linked to exploitation: «The most serious element is that there are interests in power and money managed illegally. I think of illegal work, of gangmastering». The archbishop links his action to a broader commitment to social justice: «The bishop is a Christian citizen and must speak in the ways of the Gospel. I have made mistakes, always in good faith and for the good of my communitybut this has been my line since the beginning.”
Libera spoke out forcefully in support of the bishop, denouncing the hostile climate and drawing attention to the plight of migrants in the area. «The one that is consumed in the Tavoliere countryside», claims the network of associations led by Don Luigi Ciotti, «it is a situation “at the limit of humanity”, a shame that concerns everyone». The association also underlines how Father Franco is “a coherent voice who without fear continues to denounce the absence of dignity, rights, humanity that lives a stone’s throw from our peaceful lives and that never stops questioning our consciences”. And he clearly denounces the meaning of the attacks: «We are witnessing with dismay an attack against Father Franco which hides a sad truth: there are still lives that are worth less than others». Libera also recalls the link between hospitality and legality: «There can be no development or progress without putting the human person, with his rights and dignity, back at the centre».
The Manfredonia affair poses profound questions to the civil and ecclesial conscience. On the one hand, fear, fueled by fomented anger, simplifications and exasperated social tensions; on the other, a proposal of welcome that refers directly to the Gospel. In Moscone’s words, a challenge emerges that goes beyond controversy: «Silence becomes connivance». And in those of Libera a collective appeal: «A safe community is a community that welcomes, recognizes and integrates».
In this scenario, the choice of the bishop appears as an uncomfortable but necessary testimony, capable of calling everyone (institutions, citizens and believers) to responsibility towards the least and to the construction of a more just and humane society, capable of recognizing and welcoming others.
