Rome Newsroom, Feb 11, 2021 / 06:00 am
The president of the Italian bishops' conference has condemned anti-Semitism after an online event in memory of a Jewish leader was disrupted by hateful images and slogans.
"In firmly condemning this new act of hatred, the Church in Italy reiterates the need to work together -- with all Christian confessions and believers of other religions -- to foster a culture of encounter and friendship," Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti said in a Feb. 10 letter to the community affected by the attack.
The incident took place during an online event in memory of Amos Luzzato, an Italian essayist and former president of the Jewish Community of Venice, who died in September at the age of 92.
During the Feb. 7 memorial event, the video stream was hacked, and anti-Semitic slogans, photos of Hitler, and pornographic and blasphemous images were displayed. Organizers were forced to end the video meeting early.