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The church of the parish of San Terenzo where Fr Corsi pinned his Christmas notice. Google Maps

Priest says women bring sexual and physical violence on themselves

Italian Catholic’s Christmas message prompts fury as he claims that “provocative” clothing and “arrogant” attitude gets women into trouble.

A CATHOLIC PRIEST has sparked outrage in Italy by claiming that women bring sexual and physical violence on themselves by dressing provocatively and neglecting housework, Italian media are reporting today.

Fr Piero Corsi said in a Christmas message posted on the door of his church in the small parish of San Terenzo, near Lerici and La Spezia in northwest Italy:

How often do we see girls and mature women going around scantily dressed and in provocative clothes?

They provoke the worst instincts, which end in violence or sexual abuse. They should search their consciences and ask: did we bring this on ourselves?

The leaflet, a copy of which was posted online sparking a wave of outrage across the country, said the 118 women killed in acts of domestic violence in Italy in 2012 had pushed men to their limits. Corsi also wrote:

Is it possible that all of a sudden men have gone mad? We don’t believe it.

The fact is that women are increasingly provocative, they become arrogant, they believe themselves to be self-sufficient and end up exacerbating the situation.

Children are abandoned to their own devices, homes are dirty, meals are cold or fast food, clothes are filthy.

The region’s bishop, Luigi Ernesto Palletti, stepped in as the story went viral and said Corsi’s words were “unacceptable and go against the church’s common feeling on the matter”.

Amid protests from women’s rights and anti-violence campaigners, Corsi was widely reported by Italian media to have apologised to his congregation and handed in his resignation.

He later denied the reports, saying a resignation letter sent to news agencies was “probably a fake”, adding that he was going to “take a rest” but had no intention of stepping down.

“I don’t know whether you’re a queer or not, but what do you feel when you see a naked women?” he asked a reporter for Rai Radio.

“Are women themselves not causing harm by unveiling themselves like this?”

The mayor of San Terenzo said the message had left the town’s residents “dumbfounded and indignant,” while an elderly female resident told Sky Italia television that Corsi “should keep a low profile as he has lots of secrets he would not wish to come out”.

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    Mute Antoinette Keegan
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    Jul 16th 2014, 12:42 PM

    My two sisters and my friend died that night, I barely got out with my own life, I was told at a meeting in the Dept of Justice building in March 2003, I was told by an official in the Dept of Justice, “that what I experienced I imagined because it was not in the Keane Tribunal book”. At the same meeting this official threathened to take Geraldine Foy to the High Court for defaming the Keane Report and the experts who assisted Keane, to which Geraldine Foy replied and I will always remember her strength, she told the official, “I welcome your invitation to the High Court, please take me, because when I sit in the box, I will ask the judge to whom am I defaming when none of those experts Sean you refer to have any conclusion drawn in their report”. Sean had no answer for her and they never took her to the High Court. In October 2004, she went to Scotland and brought back the professor David Rasbash full boxes of archives, of his advise as an adviser to the Keane Tribunal, by November Justice had got word of this and called an immediate meeting with the families, Sean Awlyard secretary General of the Dept of Justice told us families “we were only in that room because we lost somebody in that fire, we should go off home now and get over it we got the justice we deserved, to which deputy tommy broughan replied “sean how can you speak to these families like that ” and geraldine Foy gave Sean the tribunal book and said unless you find the basement evidence Keane is botched and they did not get the justice they deserved, they got the justice the state decided they deserved to which Noel Synott went for geraldine foy s throat and he had to be restrained by Sean Awlyard, tommy broughan has since commented on the dail record about this meeting. Geraldine Foy has never darkened the dept of Justice door since the Minister is lucky she is prepared to do this because we families had to talk her around, she is responsible for the smiles of the families of the unidentified kids, she wrote to new york twin towers, dr. drintz who wrote a letter to her giving details of the up to date dna testing to encourage the governmentbto this, it took the coroner 2 years to give her the five files of the unidentified, these families lived and breathed fresh air cause it took Geraldine Foy within one hour to identify one of those lads she rang the solicitor and told him and the kavanagh family were informed, michael mc dowell asked her did she find the dentist at the meeting which she replied no, but I am the first person to read the files since the five lads died. Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen wanted to honour her bill, but the dept of justice would not pay it. Government kept saying we dont want to set a precidient in law by re opening the tribual, the dept of justice kept denying, denying and denying us our rights and thought we were mad because our memory and experiences of the stardust were not in the keane report. The solicitor rang Ger Foy, because Bertie said they were going to say no to an inquiry this was un Nov 2006; so Ger foy said she was writing a letter for the Dept of Justice that they would have to address and they wont like it, she wrote a letter looking for a photo of the water filled basement and the two store rooms and if they can produce them the families will accept the justice they deserved, bertie ahern went into the dail 22nd nov 2006 thinking he could be vindicated at not having an inquiry on the advise of the dept of justice, i guess he was shocked when the dept of justice could not produce these items so the taoiseach decided to have an independent examination for a renewed inquiry, geraldine foy since the coffey report took the case to the ECHR, to which they said Paul Coffey was not legal and he was not a fire expert other factors are there are 2 coffey reports with 70 alterations between them ger foy knows who altered the report cause paul coffey told her, She is only prepared to meet Minister Fitzgerald cause she is an admirer of Minister Fitzgeralds husband s work for the aspherbergerf victims, ger foy will not accept any inquiry until she sits with the chief justice to explain legal ramifications at the hands of the dept of justice to deny 48 victims their right to life and justice.

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    Mute Maurice Frazer
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    Jul 16th 2014, 11:02 AM

    Let us hope that at the very least Minister of Justice and her department will be openminded, and see through all the obstacles previous MOJ’s and their departments have put in our way of finding the truth and Justice we deserve. Geraldine deserves to be listened to, and action must be taken on her and Robin Knox’s years of research . #JusticeForTheStardust48

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    Mute Robin Tobin
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    Jul 16th 2014, 12:55 PM

    You are lucky you met this person with such strength. The families had no chance of exposing the scull duggery and cover up. Wow she needs to be made a hero for giving you a voice to shout back “tell us the truth”. To contradict a survivors experience of a disaster event to protect a botched inquiry is a first for any country through out the world.

    The current government through Alan Shatter as minister of Justice went to the European Court of Human rights to respond back and protect the perjury , frame up and preverting the course of justice evidence. Still to deny the right of the dead to have their right to life vindicated and validated with an effective investigation.

    Disgraceful I am in support of Geraldine Foy not attending this meeting with a minister of justice from our current government. She is right she should just meet with the Chief Justice Susan . You families were denied your rights long enough. Mrs Fitzgerald might not have the same mind set as her husband had for the Asbergers victims. I dont believe Frances Fitzgerald will change the mind set of her department.

    I believe the police will eventually force there hand with their current investigation.

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    Mute Anne-Marie Gannon
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    Jul 16th 2014, 2:33 PM

    One has to question if Frances Fitzgerald, Enda Kenny, Alan Shatter had lost their child in this fire, would they be happy to shake the blood off their hands and discard the truth? The parents and families of those children deserve justice. If the government could give their time and attention to Garth Brooks and his concerts, why can’t the lives of 48 young people and their families be afforded the same courtesy and get justice?

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    Mute Philip McGibney
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    Jul 16th 2014, 6:55 PM

    Geraldine has been a godsend to the Stardust committee He work rate and attention to detail had to be commended by all. The fact that she uncovered a piece of evidence in her research overlooked by the tribunal and the Gardai in their investigations that helped identify one of the unknown lost in the tragedy speaks volumes . I truly hope this minister has the sincerity to listen to the committee and the courage to follow through on what rightfully needs to be done. Justice for the 48.

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    Mute Robin Tobin
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    Jul 16th 2014, 9:25 PM

    Philip I will be very surprised considering this Government under Alan Shatter went to the European Court of Human rights to defend the states ineffective investigation based on perjury and frame up evidence to deny the truth, the ECHR stated Coffey was not legal and this government have stood to protect all that corruption.

    It is clear this Geraldine knows the case and is talking, the only other person to know this case is the owner Eamon Butterly and he won’t talk. The dead cannot speak but Geraldine was sent by them to do this work for them. I wish her luck with this shower in power at the moment. Blind eyed government!

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    Mute Philip McGibney
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    Jul 17th 2014, 12:19 PM

    I think we’re on the same page Robin. My heart holds hope but my head says don’t raise your hopes. It’s not only this government whom have let the Stardust committee and the affected families down. It is successive governments since the tragedy. However, one can’t give up hope and like the Hillsborough disaster we can only hope those events can be replicated here for the 48. If not we keep on trying, campaigning and hoping. One day it will happen.

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    Mute Philip McGibney
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    Jul 17th 2014, 12:21 PM

    When I say the Hillsborough disaster I mean the events that unfolded to expose the truth behind the lies and corruption.

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