It's another tough blow for the parish. The district of Libiola belongs to the city of Serravalle a Po. It was severely hit by the earthquake in May 2012 and the baroque church is still closed for repairs. You will recall that the quake that ravaged northeast Italy also led to an explosion of problems with the Muslim immigrants living close-by. A dish with bolognese sauce, served inadvertently to a young Muslim girl in a refugee camp, had set off a veritable riot.

In Libiola, life was getting back to normal. Last Thursday, the priest and the two nuns in charge of the youth club had taken the children for a day trip to the mountains. Four young Moroccans (one from the neighborhood, the others from near-by) took advantage and broke into the presbytery. They forced open the door of the sister superior's room and stole whatever money they could find, namely the children's dues and profits from a risotto dinner recently organized by the parents: 80 euros in all.

The Maghrebins then, in the words of the Gazetta di Mantova, "wanted to leave behind a sign". They cut through a panel of the plastic tent that has been serving as a provisional church since the earthquake. They urinated and defecated on the altar. A neighbor saw them flee and recognized the one who lives in the neighborhood. The carabinieri were able to identify the others.

The priest, Eugenio Ferrari, finally decided to lodge a complaint. "If they had come to steal money because they were hungry," he explained, "I never would have complained: I would have forgiven them. But what they did in the church is an act that cannot be ignored. It is unspeakable."

"I am sorry," added the priest, "because it appears that this was done by four young Moroccans. They showed their contempt for our religion. But if I did the same thing in a mosque, they would slit my throat, yes or no?"