Domenico Beneventi, a bishop targeted twice: when the fury signed "editorial staff" passes itself off as independent international journalism

DOMENICO BENEVENTI, A BISHOP TARGETED TWICE: WHEN THE AVOIDANCE SIGNED «EDITORIAL» PASSES ITSELF AS INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

When the same accusation, with the same words, returns identically four months later - the first time to announce a papal visit, the second to tell it - it is no longer news. It is a dossier written in advance, presumably on commission, kept ready and reopened at the right time.

— Ecclesial current events —

Author
Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo

PDF print format article

The 22 August the Supreme Pontiff Leo XIV was on an apostolic visit to San Marino, invited by the Regency of the Serenissima Republic in the year of the centenary of diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Anyone who reads the news of that day on I can not remain silent, he quickly realizes that the event is just a pretext. The real subject of the article is another: an attack on the Bishop of San Marino-Montefeltro, S. AND. Mons. Domenico Beneventi, pilloried for the second time in the space of a few months.

THE SCRIPT REPEATES, IDENTICAL

The 28 last May, at the announcement of the papal visit, I can not remain silent published a piece with an eloquent title: Leone XIV a San Marino, the historical visit that lays bare the Beneventi case. It stated that the bishop "always speaks with challenging tones typical of adolescents", which "contributed to creating a heavy climate", that a "collaborator of the diocese" confides how he has "managed in recent years to pit one against the other, in every pastoral office, in every reality".

Yesterday, after the visit has taken place, the same blog returns to the topic in a piece with a pastorally impeccable title: Communion for a wounded diocese. Except then write:

«The bishop cannot be a teenager who plays at pitting one priest against another, he reports to Gaius what he heard Titius say to fuel discord and even insults his predecessor. On Italian, then, let's spread a merciful veil".

The exact same images, the same register, the same joke on the Italian pronunciation already launched in May, a few days after his appointment as president of the Commission for Culture and Social Communications of the Italian Episcopal Conference (cf.. who), the Bishop was mocked because «he replaces the “t” with the “(d)” »; yesterday, with similar derision: «an Italian still to be polished» followed by the «pitiful veil» to be spread over. It is not news of an event that happens before the eyes of the reporter: it's a plot already written, kept in a drawer, brought out every time current events offer a hook. The visit of the Holy Father, in this case, it only served as a bass drum for yet another insulting attack.

AN ATTACK ON THE PERSON, NOT AN INVESTIGATION INTO FACTS

There is a difference between criticizing the governance of a bishop and mocking his pronouncement. The first is journalistic criticism, legitimate even when severe, provided that it is exercised within the limits of respect due to the person, to the office he holds and to his priestly dignity as successor of the Apostles. The second is personal mockery. Take it out on the “t” which becomes “(d)” it does not serve to inform the reader about anything concerning the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro: it only serves to mock a man in front of his faithful. Whoever writes certain lines is not providing ecclesial information, he is bullying with the keyboard and signs it «Editorial» so that no one takes personal responsibility for it. And when the same accusation, with the same words, returns identically four months later - the first time to announce a papal visit, the second to tell it - it is no longer news. It is a dossier written in advance, presumably on commission, kept ready and reopened at the right time.

THE SOURCES: ALWAYS ANONYMOUS, NEVER AN EXCEPTION

In both pieces, the substance of the accusation does not rest on a single verifiable fact, is based on "a collaborator of the diocese" who "trusts", on «the priests» who «speak», on a generic "there are numerous events" without a single one being detailed with a name, data, verifiable context. It is the typical structure of denunciation, not the investigation: an accusation that cannot be controlled, defend, nor deny on the merits, because it has no form. Those who accuse remain invisible; only the accused has a name, a face and a diocese to lead the day after being publicly insulted by anonymous individuals.

A BLOG THAT DRESSES UP AS A NEWSPAPER, BUT YOU DON'T PAY THE PRICE

I can not remain silent presents itself as an "independent international newspaper" (cf.. who). Challenging words, which in Italy involve a responsible director with name and surname, registered with the Order, criminally responsible for what he publishes. On this site, that name is not found on any page. The publisher appearing in the company references is Clarionfold Press OÜ, a company based in Tallinn, in Estonia (cf.. who).

It is not a question of bureaucratic detail, It is the heart of the problem: a real newspaper, when he writes that a bishop "insultes his predecessor" or "starts discord", he does it knowing that someone, with name and surname, he responds if necessary to a professional association, before a judge, in front of the reader who wants to know who is speaking to him. His I can not remain silent that responsibility simply isn't there. It is written by «Redazione» and published through a foreign company, without a single human being putting their face on what is printed. The attitude adopted mimics the large independent press, but the structure is that of those who organized things so as not to have to answer to anyone.

THE PARADOX OF THOSE WHO ACCUSE OTHERS OF THEIR SAME VICE

There is, in these articles, a hypocrisy that is worth highlighting. In yesterday's piece we read a severe - and in abstract agreeable - judgment on the "certain episcopate" which is "strong with the weak and weak with the strong". Well: it is exactly the mechanism that I can not remain silent apply here, against a bishop who always answers with his name, face and role, never put in the position of replying to an accuser who has chosen to have neither one nor the other, he is hit repeatedly with an accusation that he must never qualify, never sign, never respond to a cross-examination. Strong with those who cannot react and with the signature «Editorial» with those who should respond in person: it is precisely the scheme that it is said to condemn in words.

DEFEND THE METHOD, NOT THE MAN

It is not the task of this magazine to establish whether the Feretran Prelate is, in the management of his diocese, up to the task entrusted to him, it is a judgment that belongs to the Holy See, to his priests called to act with him openly in a spirit of faithfulness, to its faithful bound to the utmost respect towards their Pastor, certainly not to a blog signed with a collective noun. As for being up to par, if whoever directs SI cannot escape knew, with the anonymous people who write to you, the foundations of Catholic doctrine, should know that none of us, from the Supreme Pontiff to the last of the priests ordained in the Catholic Church yesterday morning, he can be and feel worthy or equal to the office he holds by sacrament of grace. What is instead the ethical duty of anyone who seriously practices Catholic journalism is to clearly say that the persecution repeated with the same plot, the source never verifiable, the joke about pronunciation, the total absence of those who answer and everything else that follows is not information, it is a repeated attack against H.E. Mons. Domenico Beneventi, conducted by those who organized themselves specifically so as to never have to answer for it.

From the island of Patmos, 24 August 2026

Father Ariel's latest books

book store WHO

______________________

Dear Readers, this magazine requires management costs that we have always faced only with your free offers. Those who wish to support our apostolic work can send us their contribution through the convenient and safe way PayPal by clicking below: