Scandal is brewing in a small Italian town over a priest wearing a keffiyeh during a liturgical procession.
On 16 September, during the annual procession of the Madonna del Ponte in Lanciano, Father Alessio Primante drew attention by wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh, the traditional scarf that has become an international symbol of support for Palestine.
Father Primante, who serves as head of the Archdiocese of Lanciano-Ortona’s school chaplaincy and as chancellor of the Curia, walked in the midst of one of the region’s most important religious events with a keffiyeh draped over his cassock and cotta. The procession is the largest and most popular devotion in the diocese, attracting thousands of faithful who accompany the revered image of the Madonna through the streets in prayer and celebration.
