Italian priest defies Pope Francis’ call to take in refugees

An Italian priest has said he’d rather burn down his vicarage than take in refugees fleeing war and persecution.

Fr Angelo Chizzolini, from Lugiria in northwest Italy, made the comment after Pope Francis recently called the Catholic Church to take in as many refugees as it could in response to the current crisis.

According to the Times, Mr Chizzolini has previously offered refuge to non-EU migrants in the nearby area of Brescia, but they left the property in bad condition.

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“As a private citizen I have a home in Brescia and I can do what I like with that, and yes, I said that rather than opening the door to a migrant, I would set fire to it.”

Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s far-right Northern League party, has expressed his support for Fr Chizzolini’s actions, posting “I’m with Father Angelo” on his Facebook page.

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