An unusual matter for Catholic Italy: because residents felt disturbed by the ringing of the local church, a group of them went to court. Now the so -called “Bell War” came to an end – but at the expense of the two affected priests.
In San Dorigo della Valle, a municipality in Friuli-Julian Veneto near Trieste, about 150 inhabitants had complained about the ringing of the St. Ulrich church. The dispute started in 2022, when the group felt ringing as too loud and especially too often.
According to the Italian newspaper “Il Piccolo”, the situation escalated in such a way that the bell tower was seized twice by the authorities. The priests of the church were also confronted with a criminal complaint about triple peace disorder.
Glock Tower Sealed – Escalated dispute
Stone of the Kick -OFF was the programming of the bell tower. The overy priests had set the ringing so that the blows sounded every quarter between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. – with two strokes for the first quarter of one hour, four strokes in half an hour and six strokes at three -quarters.
The “dissidents”, as the other side was referred, found this unreasonable nuisance. The public prosecutor then intervened and opened a procedure.
Priest pays punishment – no legal consequences
Last Friday the legal dispute finally ended with a fine. The two priests, Don Klemen Zalar and Don Roy Benas -NU in other parishes -allocated to a distraction of just over 400 euros. This means that criminal consequences for the clergy are off the table. They were accused of “disruption of employment or quiet people”.
Peace thanks to new rules
With the judgment, peace has also returned to the community. The judge accepted the fine with a view to the insignificantness of the accused crimes. Some of the residents involved were also present in the courtroom who have now arranged the conflict. Apparently, new rules, which were introduced by the diocese, have also contributed to this to prevent ringing the daily life of the residents in the future.
The clocks have been allowed to call again since April – but in accordance with the new requirements. “It is important that the bell tower, is a central reference point for the entire municipality of San Dorligo, is back in use,” said the priest’s lawyer. He also emphasized that there is now a much more relaxed climate than at the time of the legal dispute.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
